1oII: Teacher
by silverscribbles
Summary: They've been summoned to another school, but in this one, girls have been going missing without a trace. The police think they’re runaways; the headmaster thinks it's kidnap. Mai? She just wants to get out of it alive.
1. And in my beginning

Warning: parts of this story may contain spoilers for the manga, novel or anime.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt and I am not profiting from this fanfiction. Any resemblance of this fanfiction to other works or people are purely coincidental.

_This is the second set of the series, Vesta's Bonds. _You do not have to read the first to be able to read this one, but it is recommended.

* * *

_Vesta's Bonds 1o2: Teacher_

**Chapter 1 And in my beginning**

_You know, if your boss is an ass, you could always quit and move to Australia with me._

_Ayami._

Taniyama Mai laughed as she shut the browser for her email. She wasn't even going to bother replying to that comment that Ayami had made.

The door of the room opened and Mai looked up. Bou-san and Masako were trailing into the room, neither appearing too impressed by what was here. Naru had sent them to scout out the school for their most recent case, but judging by their expressions, Mai didn't think they'd found too much. SPR had just received a job at an upper-class all girl's school in the Northern Districts. Apparently, some students seemed to be vanishing without a trace. The headmaster had feared for the girls' and staffs' safety and had therefore closed the school for the semester in order to find out what was happening. This was an upper-class boarding school for girls, but they also housed several orphans via scholarship and these students had remained behind as they had had nowhere else to go.

At first, the headmaster had thought it was a kidnapping case and had contacted the police, but the police hadn't been able to find anything at all. They had concluded that the girls had simply run away, as all of the students had had an argument with a teacher before that and had been acting strangely for awhile. The thought hadn't soothed the headmaster though, seeing as the girls were still missing, regardless, and although the girls that had disappeared weren't of affluent backgrounds, not a trace of them had been found. There had been no notes or signs of them anywhere else.

The headmaster hadn't believed in the police's conclusion, so he'd also contacted Naru for help instead. Apparently, they'd become rather famous with schools since the case at Ryokuryou High School. According to him, three girls had disappeared; each of them aged between 15-17 years old, and each of them having done so after having fallen out of grace with a teacher.

Bou-san turned towards Mai, no doubt having had noted her earlier laugh. "What's so funny, Mai?"

Mai shook her head. "No, it's nothing. It's just something Ayami wrote in her email."

"Naru doesn't pay you to check your email during work hours, Mai," Masako said. Masako had been strangely bitter lately but even Mai knew better than to comment on why. Mai wasn't even going to bother telling her that she had been on break while she checked her account, and instead opted to keep the peace with her silence.

"Mai's developed quite the attitude now that she's getting a lump sum from that Domjouji girl a month," Bou-san, their monk/rock star added teasingly.

Mai's jaw dropped. She hadn't told anyone about the money that Ayami had given her; she'd only mentioned briefly that Ayami and she were distantly related. "How did you know?" she demanded.

Bou-san blinked. "Oh, God, it's true. You do get money from that witch—"

Mai rolled her eyes at their argument that had been going on for weeks now since the conclusion of the last case. "Ayami is not a witch," she responded reasonably.

"Of course she is a witch; she admits it herself," Bou-san pointed out.

Mai's eyes narrowed. She was so tempted to reach over and—

The door opened and Mai plastered a smile over her face, thinking it was a client. When she saw Lin-san, Ayako and Naru walk through the door, her smile faded. Yasuhara-san hadn't been able to make it yet, and John-san had had to return to Australia temporarily. Apparently it had something to do with his visa expiring.

"Did you find anything?" Naru asked, looking directly at Bou-san and Masako.

They both shook their heads.

"Mai?" Naru turned to her. She, in turn, blinked.

"Yes?"

"Have you fallen asleep yet?" Naru asked patiently.

Mai didn't know if she should feel insulted by the question or honoured that he was including her in this discussion. She shook her head quickly and he nodded.

"If you dream, or see, or hear about anything that might relate to this case, tell me."

Mai nodded obediently. He might have mentioned that for a previous case, but she was quite sure she'd ignored him then too. Or had that been Bou-san?

Naru turned away then and walked over to Lin-san then. Mai turned back to her present company, wondering if she should invite one of them to go eat with her. Bou-san, however, was speaking therefore she had to wait for him to stop first.

"It shouldn't be too bad as long as there are no demi-goddesses and witches this time," Bou-san was saying brightly.

Ayako huffed. "Did you feel a little useless during the last case?"

"I didn't see you helping much either," Bou-san pointed out.

And as usual, he struck the perfect note. There was the typical screech and throwing of property. Mai manoeuvred around them and ended up standing next to Masako across the room instead.

She shook her head before consulting her watch. Apparently she still had about half an hour before her alleged break was over. That should be enough time for her to cross the road and buy some lunch.

"I think I might go have a sandwich," Mai said, turning to Masako. "Did you want to come with me? I don't think you've eaten either."

Masako shook her head, declining Mai's request. Shrugging, she turned over to Naru. She informed him of her plans as she walked towards the door. Mai habitually moved as quickly as possible; it would be just like him to pull her back at a time like this.

"Don't go by yourself," Naru said.

Mai turned to him, surprised, and he elaborated further on that detail. "The culprit has been targeting girls so far, and whether it is because this is an all girl's school or females are being specifically targeted, I don't know, but Lin has detected signs of paranormal presences crossing almost every room in this school. Make sure you're with another male at all times. Takigawa-san can go with you."

Bou-san looked over when his name had been mentioned. He frowned when he registered Naru's words. "Just volunteer me, why don't you?" he muttered.

Mai grinned broadly and Naru ignored the comment. Bou-san moved towards the door and held it open for Ma, letting her go first. They walked beside each other until they reached the ground at the bottom.

"You don't have to go with me, Bou-san," Mai smiled. "I'm not staying on the grounds of the school, so I really don't think anything is going to happen to me."

He shook his head, though the monk was languid in his movements. "It's best if you're with someone all the time. Masako's attached herself to Naru's hip, so you're going to be stuck with me for just a little bit."

Mai nodded, though she couldn't help but feel a slight ping of disappointment. Naru and Masako always seemed to be together. Though they never tried to acknowledge the relationship in anyway, Mai had to admit that she was more than curious as to what it was that they were sharing.

Bou-san, sensing her mood, ruffled Mai's hair and she laughed in response. Her face brightened and he slipped his hands into his pockets and whistled merrily as they strolled across the massive lawn in front of Karakura High School.

"So is school okay?" Bou-san asked, clearly trying to strike conversation.

Mai nodded in response to his question, though in all honesty, it wasn't as though she attended that often to know. And to think that she was going to be graduating in a few months, too. Mai had no idea what she planned to do after this.

They strolled merrily through the school, comfortable with the silence. They reached the gates of the high school and Bou-san opened the gate for her, gesturing for her to go out first. Mai sighted an elderly woman in a white kimono sitting by the swings, watching them. Smiling, Mai waved at her and the older woman waved back just as merrily. Mai hadn't seen the woman around before; she must have been a caretaker or something.

"Who're you waving at?" Bou-san asked.

Mai pointed back at the swing set, only to see that it was empty. The swing that the elder had been sitting at swung lightly still so it was obvious that she'd only recently left.

Mai frowned, finding the situation just a little odd. "She must have left," Mai said thoughtfully.

* * *

Mai was dreaming again.

Darkness surrounded her, as per usual, and Mai looked around. There was a tall building in front of her that closely resembled Karakura High School, which meant that this was mostly a case-related dream. Whenever she had a dream like this, Naru was normally in it too.

On prompt with her thoughts, a dark figure came in from the distance and Mai let out a breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding. It took her awhile to figure out why she was so relieved, but then she remembered: the last time she'd seen him, Ayami's companion had literally sent her and Naru flying from their dreams, and she hadn't seen him since. When he stopped in front of her, Mai looked up at him, smiling.

"Forgive me, Mai," Naru started. "I wasn't able to come back since then. Your client's friend kept me away from the case."

Mai's smile turned into a frown. "You mean Raidon?" Ayami tried not to mention him but Mai could tell that he was a bit of a sore spot.

"He's not a good person, Mai," Naru told her. "It'd be best if you stay as far away from him as you can." Mai nodded, remembering that Ayami had once said something similar. Naru smiled at her, and it was an expression that Mai felt push towards her heart. He seemed so tender; why couldn't Naru be like this out of her dreams too? "Come, I have something to show you."

He held out his hand and Mai took it. Naru held onto her fingers gently, his grip strangely cold, yet oddly comforting. They walked through the school together, passing the fountain and through an oddly layered path before reaching a blank wall behind the older buildings at the back. The buildings had probably been around for years and years, but they'd also obviously been abandoned for awhile too. Spider webs were everywhere, though they 

seemed to have been disturbed recently, because Mai could see the broken stitching sticking to the closest item.

Naru was staring at the blank wall now. It was covered completely by excess vines from the tree above with branches from trees leaning over it. Naru tugged her hand slightly and Mai turned over to him. He gestured towards the wall and Mai nodded. They both slipped through the brick wall – _through it, _like a spirit – and Mai's eyes widened in horror when she reached the other side.

There was someone standing, their body bright red as though encased in flames. The person's hands were pressed against their throat. It looked as though they wanted to scream, yet it impossible for them to do so. The fire was all over them, yet there was no smoke whatsoever.

"Oh my god," Mai breathed. She moved forward, ready to help the other girl, but Naru grabbed her hand.

"It's already happened, Mai; we can't stop it, no matter what you do. We're reliving it now, but that girl is gone." His face was stoic, though there was a rare glimmer of pity in his eyes. "Observe the area, and see if there's anything that can help you."

Mai nodded, though she couldn't quite tear her eyes away from the flaming person. Finally, she managed to move, and her eyes ran over the rest of the scene. There looked to a small cottage in the distance; this place was a court that had also been abandoned with the rest of the area. The olden day dressing told Mai that this place was quite old and had not been refurbished for at least fifty years. Mai could see several school bags that had been scattered along the area with the Karakura High School crest engraved on them. By the side, there were two other bodies that had been frozen in a monstrous manner; their cheeks hollowed and ashen to the point that their jaws and teeth were showing.

Dimly, Mai's mind registered what had had to have happened to all the girls that had been here. And judging by the grotesqueness on their face, they had been alive when it happened.

Set on fire.

The girls had been set on fire.

* * *

2nd September, 2008: And I am back. I didn't really go for long though, did I? But yeah, as promised, Ayami does not appear in this series. There are some bitter comments made, but that's about it. Thank you to those who supported my previous story; it was truly appreciated. I will be replyin to all those reviews after this chapter is posted, so yeah...Cheers!

Many thanks previously to: **yumegirl91, Gabryelle-P, canadianviolet (**LOL I'm kind of surprised that I finished _Goddess _too. To be honest, I'm not exactly known for my consistency in anything.),** lunamoongoddess, misskoneko, julie34 (**LOL the Miharu family is not the family that Mai was warned about. Contrary to that, they are actually known for their pacifistic works in the supernatural world. Bou-san is acquainted with them also, actually. More of that will be mentioned later on in this segment, I think. If I forget, lol, remind me. Hehe...how unprofessional does that sound?), **Kay (**LOL, thank you. Hope you like this segment too),** SkyzAngels, SimplyChristine, Ayjah, killbethy, lurkmoar, Meifa, and Triis.**


	2. Blank Wall

**Chapter 2 Blank Wall  
**

* * *

_Day 2_

* * *

Mai hadn't slept for the rest of the night, so by the time the sun had risen, she'd been ready to leave her room, shutting the door behind her quietly so that she didn't wake Masako up. Mai had showered early and dressed after that, and just as the sun rose, she exited the building of the school.

Mai could remember the dream she had last night so clearly, the image of the girls' corpses were still engraved in her mind. Naru had said that they had died already, and if the numbers matched, then that would have been three girls that went missing – and two bodies and one burning last night. Everything made sense, but Mai still wanted to find the bodies. If the girls were really gone, then they at least deserved a proper burial, so she after a sleepless night, she'd decided to go and confirm her dream in the morning.

Initially, Mai had thought of calling someone to come along with her, but it had felt so stupid. Yasuhara-san had classes today, so she couldn't really call him along, and Bou-san probably wouldn't have agreed to her going at all. It felt so stupid to Mai, going off to confirm something in her dreams, even if she had been correct before. What if all this had just been a figment of her imagination? Or what if she led them to danger too? She didn't worry about herself that much: Mai had always been pushed into trouble, but at the last minute, she always found a way out. She was lucky in an unlucky sort of way, really.

Mai spotted the same fountain from last night and passed it, travelling until she saw the wall that Naru and she had stopped at last night. The vines were still there; the wood unmoved. She was amazed: the dream had been right after all.

"Mai."

Mai's heart jumped a mile before her mind registered who the voice belonged to.

Oh, God. It was Naru. And, of course, he was frowning. He had almost scared her to death again. This definitely had not been the first that he did that. Didn't he make any noises while he walked?

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Noting that he wasn't very happy, Mai forced a sheepish smile on her face. "I went for a walk," Mai answered.

Naru's eyebrows rose slightly at her blatantly obvious lie. Mai laughed weakly and turned towards the wall in front of her. He was already in a bad mood – probably because he hadn't slept last night – and he'd probably had to have chased her down in order to learn why she was here. Mai unconsciously touched her pocket and realised that she'd left her phone behind too. Oh, boy. She was in for it now.

"Are you that keen on dying?" Naru asked acerbically. "I told you to never go anywhere alone. And since you haven't been here before, and yet you managed to make way through as though you've visited this place in the past, I can only surmise that you visited this area in your dream last night. And I told you to tell me if you dreamt of anything relating to the case."

She didn't dare turn to look at him now. Mai had never heard him so angry before. Sure, she'd seen him annoyed more times than she could count, but that didn't mean that she wanted to face him even when he was in _that _mood. Luckily, Naru was not a man of many words, so when he stopped, he stopped all together. _She_, however, couldn't help but feel a touch irritated. He was annoyed because of his lack of sleep – and there was no doubt that her insolence was the reason why he was in an even worse mood – but that didn't mean that he had to project all of it onto her.

Mai snuck a peak at him and realised that his face was still crinkled from his mood. Then again, his expression at the moment was just a little bit comical.

"How did you know I was here, anyway?" Mai asked.

"Lin saw you leaving on one of the cameras, and since I was closest, I had to come and get you."

Then why had he followed her instead of calling out to her? Mai stared at him and watched as he tried to calm his expression, yet managed to look aggravated all the same. She guessed that this wasn't the best time to tell him that she hadn't even considered calling him along; only Yasuhara-san or Bou-san had been on her mental list to call.

Naru exhaled. "What were you looking at?" Naru asked. He, too, examined that same wall with his eyes. The vines had covered the wall thickly, and the only reason why she'd managed to get through was because dream-Naru had been there with her and he'd taken her _through_ the wall instead. Mai looked up at the edge of the wall sceptically. It was about two and a half meters tall; if she found something to boost herself with, she should be able to get over it.

"I saw this wall last night," Mai answered absently. She looked around and her face brightened when she saw a table at the far end that she could use to climb on. "I just need to get onto the other side."

Naru wasn't pleased by her response. He said something, but as whatever he'd said came out at the same time Mai pushed against the table, so she didn't hear him at all. The table creaked from where it was and then suddenly fell apart right in front of her.

Well, so much for that plan.

"If you're trying to get over the wall," Naru drawled patiently, "there is a tree."

Mai looked up, realising that he was right. So that was where the branches had come from. Mai wasn't sure what tree it was, but it had probably been around for a few years for it to 

be that big. She walked towards the trunk and measured the position of the lowest opening. If she could step onto that spot then she would definitely be able to hop onto the branch and climb on to the wall. How she got down after that was just another issue.

That 'spot' however, that Mai had intended to use as a boost, was definitely too high for her foot.

"I'll go first," Naru said. He stepped towards her and easily used the gap to boost himself onto the branch. Mai blinked. Naru, dressed in a suit, was climbing a tree. She didn't even know that he knew how to do that. Naru perched himself easily onto the tree and looked back at her.

"Stay there, Mai, and I'll—"

"You're not leaving me behind," Mai cut-in, horrified that he'd even thought of doing that.

If it was anyone else, they would have rolled their eyes. Naru, however, just reached down and held his hand out, almost like last night. Mai took his hand and Naru, who was obviously stronger than he looked, easily pulled her up to where he was. He didn't let go of her hand, and Mai found it strange that his grip in her hand was warm, rather than cold like it had been in her dream.

"Are you balanced?" Naru asked.

Mai nodded, though her heart was pounding in her chest. She was _this _close to Naru. It almost made her forget what she was here for. Mai blinked, shaking her head. This wasn't the time for her to think like that, and she was a little ashamed that she had. Trying her best to ignore him, Mai manoeuvred towards the other side of the tree and hoped onto the wall. A few meters away, she sighted another table leaning against the wall.

"Hey, look. We can use that to get down." She turned to launch onto the table before Naru had even set his second foot onto the wall.

"Wait, Mai," he ordered, just a little too late. Naru ran towards, somehow not falling off the wall.

"Eh?" Mai looked back at him while she'd jumped and felt her feet meet a surface that was not quite supported.

The table's leg had broken. And this was going to be a rather painful two meter fall.

"Mai!" Naru called, and she felt the wood break further beneath her weight. Naru missed her when he grabbed and dived down after her. Somehow, he landed acrobatically on his feet while Mai did so ungraciously on her bottom, atop the smashed wood.

"Mai, are you alright?"

"Ouch," Mai muttered, her eyes tearing from the pain. "That hurt, that hurt, that hurt."

"That's because you didn't look where you were jumping, idiot."

His words weren't too comforting, but Mai was used to them by now. Naru's grip on her back was comforting, but Mai's bottom hurt all the same. He carefully removed the excess wood from around her and Mai rubbed her backside, trying to lessen the pain. During her gasps for breath, she inhaled a strange scent. Mai's eyes turned upwards, just slightly, and then she froze.

Just two meters away from her was one of the backpacks she'd seen last night, encrusted with the Karakura High School crest. Her mind was blank as her eyes moved towards the further end, stopping right at the corpse. Something white, in contrast to the ashen body, stood out to Mai in the light and she realised that that had to be the other girl's teeth. Her gaze went further up and Mai's eyes widened when she saw the hollowness of the corpse's eye socket.

"Oh my god," Mai breathed.

Her eyes, sickened, stared at the grotesque sight before her. The angle of the girl's neck made it so that her face was staring towards Mai's direction.

"Oh my god," Mai repeated. Her breathing deepened and she forgot all about her pain. Naru seemed to have noticed the reason for her temporary paralysis because he didn't ask her what it was. Suddenly, her gaze met black and Mai realised that Naru had moved to sit right in front of her.

He pulled her to him, turning her gaze towards his jacket, despite her struggles. "Don't look," he ordered.

Mai shook her head. His voice had brought her out of her metal paralysis. "No, I have to see. There were two others. I remember that there were two other corpses"

"It's okay."

"_No_, Naru—"

"Mai!" Naru snapped. The sharpness of his tone brought her back to her senses and she stopped. Mai swallowed the bile in her throat and she stopped struggling. Her breathing deepened and Naru shifted slightly, allowing her more room for oxygen to get through.

As the air shifted towards her brain, Mai's thoughts calmed just a little. He was right, of course. They shouldn't touch the corpses; the police still had to come in and there was a high chance that she could destroy any evidence that had already been laid out there. If there _was_ any evidence to destroy seeing as the spirits were supposedly responsible for these murders.

Mai had to stop panicking now. It was rather unlikely that she could tell the police that she'd seen all of this in a dream. Mai didn't know what she and Naru were going to tell the police, but they needed to come up with a story now.

And they were right next to a corpse.

Oh, God.

* * *

It took six hours for them to organise everything. They'd dialled the police, contacted the headmaster, and also visited the police station.

A detective had questioned them too; a friendly officer in his mid-forties. He was called Detective Ichinose, from what Mai remembered. They had asked the usual questions. Naru had answered in turn with Mai there: they had gone for a walk that morning and ended up at the wall. Mai had thought that it would be fun to climb the wall and Naru had climbed after her, trying to stop her in case she fell. The detective had smiled and muttered something about "Young love" when they'd told him their story and had slapped Naru encouragingly on the shoulder. Naru, of course, had merely stared at the man and asked him if they could go soon. The detective had smiled, thinking that Naru was embarrassed before allowing them to leave.

Now, Mai and Naru had returned to base along an unimpressed Bou-san and an even less impressed Lin-san. Masako and Ayako weren't there, but that was because they had to guard base. Now that the rest of them were back, the other two girls had gone off to find something to eat.

"The forensics reported that the dental work of the girls that went missing matched that of the bodies," Bou-san said. His was tone was dry as he leant over the table, his face sarcastic. "Congratulations, Mai. You hit the jackpot."

Mai smiled sheepishly. She certainly didn't feel as though she'd just won the lotto.

Naru didn't seem to think so either, because he turned towards her, uncharacteristically gentle. "You've had quite the morning, Mai. Go and rest. Lin will escort you to your room."

"And who will stay with you?" Lin-san demanded. His face was literally twitching – he was in _that _bad of a mood.

Naru turned back to Lin, and dryly said, "I don't need a babysitter."

Oh, and _she_ did, did she?

"That could have fooled me," Lin-san snapped. "I cannot believe that you went off with Taniyama-san to search for the body like that."

"It wasn't as though I intentionally went off to hunt for the body of the victims."

Again, this seemed a little inclining towards Mai.

"You know that Taniyama-san has latent sensitivity, and that she'd had a dream last night; you saw from the moment she left her room that she wasn't looking well. You deliberately followed her and you deliberately climbed over that wall to satisfy your curiosity. Damn it, Naru! What if something had happened!?"

"We found the bodies, didn't we? That counts for something." Naru's response was droll and Mai stared. She'd never seen Lin-san so emotional before but Naru seemed completely indifferent to it all.

"The professor will not be impressed when he learns that you got the police involved in this, Naru."

The professor, as in Naru's parents?

"And neither of you thought it would be necessary to call me!" Lin-san continued.

Oh, boy. Lin-san was angry. Mai snuck a glance at Naru, noting the way he casually shook his jacket before laying it onto one of the chairs. Naru was completely at ease with it all, but Mai knew that she wasn't. For once, Lin-san's anger wasn't projected solely at Naru either; it was also at Mai.

It didn't seem fair that Lin-san was yelling at Naru only. Mai stepped forward, knowing that she was probably going to regret it later on. "Lin-san, it was my fault, really—"

"It's your fault too, but Naru should have known better—"

"That's enough," Naru interjected sharply. His tone gave no doubt that this conversation was over. Mai lifted her face, surprised to see that he not only looked irritated, but also tired. Then, she remembered that he hadn't had any sleep last night and their trip to the police station probably hadn't helped either. Naru turned towards Mai. "Mai, I'm taking you back to your room now. Stay there until tonight."

Mai nodded quickly and even Bou-san was smart enough not to comment. Lin-san didn't say anything and merely watched them exit the room. Mai didn't say anything as they walked, wary of Naru's expression as they went.

"Mai, if you hear, see, feel, dream or sense anything that might be paranormal, I want you to tell me about it, regardless of the time and place."

Mai blinked. That sounded suspiciously like the order he'd given her yesterday. It wasn't as though she purposely ignored his requests; she just never thought to tell him until she confirmed the truth of the basis first.

"Mai, did you hear me?"

It was a bit hard not to, honestly. She nodded quickly in confirmation and Naru seemed to find that acceptable. He took her to her room and stopped in front of the door.

"Rest for now; you must be tired. I doubt that you got much rest last night either."

Mai nodded, realising that Naru was being oddly considerate. This really was not something he would normally do. Mai stepped into the room and turned around, ready to close the door when his voice called out to her again.

"Mai."

She opened the door again. "Yes?" she asked.

Naru opened his mouth and then closed it again. His face was expressionless, as per usual, and Mai frowned. "Just be careful," he said to her.

She didn't understand, but she did nod.

* * *

4th September, 2008: I actually finished this chapter a few hours after I released chapter 1, and chapter 3 is done also. I'm off to chapter 4 now, and I can't believe it either. LOL normally I am so incredibly lazy, but I think the reason why I might have written so much is because my alternative is studying for my PYB110 Psychological Stats exam. You can probably guess which option seemed a little more alluring, eh? Anyway, thanks so much for reading! I wasn't going to update till next week (it makes me feel superior to be ahead) but it's my birhday tomorrow, so I figured I'd update earlier. What do you think of my Naru/Mai part? It was about as romantic as you can get for Naru, I think. Nah, just kidding. It was about as good as I could give them without making them seem OOC, since neither of them had really confessed their undying love for one another yet. Oh, by the way: tell me if any of you guys are not getting my author replies for your reviews. But yes, cheers!

**Many thanks to: Kay (**LOL you're back! I'm glad you like the concept of the Five though. Their plot thickens as the story progresses. You might even like the other members of their family ;)), **Skyz-Angels, syNemYoA, got2bekiddin, Gabryell-P, misskoneko, bigtomato** (LOL thanks for your support! I'm glad you liked it so far), **Sorachangirl, canadianviolet (**Errr...I wouldn't say that I like this story any more than I like my other ones, but it is, strangely enough, one of the lightheated stories that I write. Normally, a story of mine would have deep plots, dark pasts, and creepy, mysterious characters. In Vesta's Bonds, everyone is exactly as they seem. Well, kinda anyway. But yes, this chapter probably didnt answer too many of your questions, but the next chapter should), **Lansky, killbethy, Moons-Chan, Yuki Taiki, and lurkmoar.**


	3. My lines

**Chapter 3 My lines**

* * *

_Day 3_

* * *

_You little rebel, Mai. I heard of your latest visit to the human pound. You make me so proud. Don't worry about it all; I too have visited the station several times, if it makes you feel any better. Apparently, wandering around cemetery at 3AM in the morning is deemed as a suspicious conduct. Imagine that? They normally let you out pretty quickly when they realise who you know though. Don't worry about everything else; I'll deal with the police officers. For now, stay safe, okay?_

_ - Ayami._

Mai stared at the screen in amazement. Ayami had known; how on Earth had she known about Mai's expedition? Mai quickly checked the date of the email and realised that it had reached her inbox at exactly 1.12PM yesterday, which was about the time that Naru and Mai had been able to leave the police station. Mai shook her head, though she wasn't even going to ask how Ayami knew about what had happened. Her cousin had amazing resources; that Mai knew.

Mai quickly typed in a response and then shut her laptop. The machine had been a gift from her cousin before she left Japan. Ayami had prepaid Mai's satellite internet so that they could keep in touch when Mai went on her cases, and had smilingly stated that this machine too was something that would come in handy then. Mai wasn't sure what Ayami meant and she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out. Knowing Ayami, Mai could already see a re-enactment of _The Ring_; it would not surprise Mai if a woman came crawling out of the screen.

She shuddered, and then consulted her watch. It was already 9AM. Bou-san was meant to be here over an hour ago to let her down; clearly, he'd forgotten about escorting her. Mai shared her room with Masako, and Naru had already dropped by to walk her down over an hour ago. The monk probably thought that someone else was taking Mai down.

Mai shrugged, heading now to the door. She was a little tired, and hadn't slept well last night. Mostly, she had dreams about the corpses that they'd found the previous night, and saw the girls calling out for her for help. As Mai passed one of the windows, she saw Bou-san and Ayako on the grounds, no doubt searching for signs of paranormal life. There was a janitor near them too, cleaning the grounds. The elder Mai had seen on her first day here stood over the janitor, and it appeared that they were in conversation. It was a little one-sided though, since the man had not even bothered to look up at the elder once.

Mai walked out to them. Bou-san and Ayako smiled at her from the distance and Mai waved back. As she exited the building, the janitor walked back in. The elderly lady frowned back at him, clearly distressed, and Mai walked over to her first.

"Good morning," Mai greeted the lady softly. "Are you alright?"

The elder sighed, shaking her head. "He won't listen to me, child. I told him not to get into an argument with the headmaster over something so petty, but Shiba-kun just wouldn't listen." The elder turned towards Mai suddenly, as though seeing her for the first time. "Maybe you could talk to him."

Mai blinked. "I…errr…I don't really think it's my place to interfere like that."

The elder blinked and then sighed. "You're right, of course, my dear."

Mai smiled as the elder, still dressed in her splendid white kimono, sat down on the bench behind her. The woman had to have been in her 70s at least. Her silvery white hair had been pressed back into a tight bun as signs of her age showed on her crinkled face. Mai could tell that in her youth, the woman had been beautiful.

"I'm Taniyama Mai," Mai greeted brightly.

The woman smiled at her. "You can call me, Hiroma Sensei, Mai-kun."

Mai smiled at the archaic way in which the woman addressed her, though she couldn't help but notice the woman's title. "Are you a teacher, Hiroma Sensei?"

The woman laughed. "I was, my dear. Now I've retired. I'm just here to look out for the students."

The elder had probably come back when the other girls had gone missing. Mai resisted the urge to shudder and looked away. Bou-san and Ayako had moved to the fountains now, though Mai had no idea what they were doing.

"I heard you and a friend of yours found the three girls yesterday," Hiroma Sensei said gently. Mai turned over to her. "Are you alright, Mai-kun?"

Mai forced a smile on her face. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking though. It's very nice of you to come back to the school after you've retired, sensei. I'm sure the students and staff appreciate it."

Hiroma Sensei gave a kind laugh. "No teacher ever truly quits, Mai-kin. No matter how hard we try, we do always care for our students. That's why we keep coming back."

Mai remembered back to Ichino Sensei, the teacher that had helped her out during the initial year of her mother's help and couldn't help but smile. Her teacher had been so kind to Mai – but then the woman had suddenly lost all contact with her a year later. Perhaps Mai would find her again, just to thank her once more. It couldn't hurt, after all.

Mai's phone suddenly went off and she quickly reached for it, a little surprised that she hadn't forgotten it in her room. Of course, the look on Naru's face the previous morning was a high contributing factor to that.

Mai wasn't surprised to see Naru's name on the caller ID. He was one of the few people to know her number, after all.

"Hello?"

"Call Ayako and Bou-san back to base with you. Yasuhara-san and Madako are here. Apparently they have some things they want to tell us. And they brought a guest with them too."

"Madako-san's here?" Mai repeated, her face lighting up. Mai hadn't seen her for a good few months.

"I just said that," Naru returned dryly. "Come back soon."

And just like that, Mai heard a click that indicated that he'd hung up on her.

Mai rolled her eyes as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. That was just like Naru to hang up like that. One day, Mai swore that she was going to get the last word and that she was going to hang up on him first.

Mai turned to Hiroma Sensei and smiled at her. "I have to go do my job again, Hiroma Sensei. Maybe we'll talk again next time."

Hiroma Sensei gave her that knowing smile that teachers always seemed to wear. "Of course we will, Mai-kun. You'd best get back before your employer gets angry at you."

Mai nodded quickly and darted towards Bou-san and Ayako. When she reached them, Mai realised that they weren't alone. Standing beside them was a police officer who had clearly been interrogating them just seconds ago. Bou-san shot Mai a warning look and both he and Ayako quickly moved to stand beside Mai.

"Taniyama Mai?" the police officer walked right over to her and Mai blinked.

"Hello," Mai greeted politely. He appeared different to the last officer that had questioned her and Mai didn't get a good feeling from this man at all.

"I'm Detective Kaito from Homicide." He flashed his badge, playing a scene right out of a movie that Mai had seen recently. "I'm sure you've met my partner, Ichinose. It's been hard to get to you, Miss Taniyama. You and your employer have got friends in high places."

Mai didn't know what to say, nor did she quite know what he was talking about, so she merely nodded.

"She's a minor. You're not entitled to talk to Mai like this, even if you're only fishing for information," Ayako said sharply. "Mai, let's go back."

Mai nodded quickly, noting the hostility between the three adults. Detective Kaito didn't seem too stirred from his path, but nor did he try to stop them when Ayako led her away. Mai looked back at the officer, who then gave her a slight smile before his phone went off. Mai faced the front again, only to see that Bou-san and Ayako were in an incredibly dark mood.

"Who were you talking to before?" Bou-san asked, his face not looking any better as he attempted to talk.

The words 'detective Kaito' were just at the tip of her tongue before she realised that that wasn't who Bou-san was referring to. "I was talking to Hiroma Sensei. Apparently she was a teacher at the high school a few years back. She heard what had happened and decided to come back and see the students." Bou-san nodded, though that didn't seem to lighten his mood. Ayako didn't look any better, either, so Mai could only guess that the detective hadn't been too friendly with them before. "Naru called us back, though. He said that Yasuhara-san and Madako are here. Apparently they brought a guest too."

Bou-san nodded. They walked back to base quickly and Mai turned slightly to see if Hiroma Sensei was still where she had been before. The seat was empty, just as the rest of the court was. The elder must have left not shortly after Mai had. As they went, Bou-san was stopped by several students, each one asking him for his autograph, and Mai laughed as he was left behind by Ayako. By the time they'd reached base, the door snapped open before Ayako's hand even hit the handle and Mai felt something suddenly wrap around her waist, sucking the life out of her.

"You must be Mai-chan!" a soft, delicate voice declared. It belonged to that of a little girl. Mai looked down to see a bright, smiling face look back up at her.

"Now, now, Hisana; you're scaring her," a cultivated male voice chided gently. Mai blinked and looked into the room. In the distance, Masako was expressionless, Naru annoyed, Yasuhara-san sheepish, Madako wary, and Lin-san emotionless. And standing just beside Naru was his polar opposite, dressed in blue and white. A boy in his early-twenties, probably, with sparking blue eyes and an evenly tanned face. He wore blue jeans and a casual white formal shirt that he'd left untucked. He didn't look Japanese at all, but Mai could see that he had a resemblance to the Southern lands. Was he Indonesian or Filipino, maybe? Either way, he was incredibly good looking, just like Naru, only in a different way.

Madako stepped forward. "Mai, there you are. This is Miharu-kun. He wanted to come along today to meet us."

"Just call me Setsuna," the man replied. The expressions from the rest of the group told Mai that whoever this person was, his presence was not warmly welcomed. "And the one attempting to cut off your oxygen supply is Hisana. We are from the Miharu family, Mai-san. Pleased to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Mai greeted faintly. She had no idea what was going on. He was probably from the blue-blooded Miharu Family that Ayami had spoken of in the past. Her cousin had said that the other families would seek her out, but wasn't this just a little too quickly? And what did he want? His voice was slightly familiar, and Mai could swear that she had heard it before.

The little girl laughed sheepishly and let go of Mai's waist, though she grabbed onto Mai hand instead. The gesture seemed innocent, but her grip was almost deadly. Mai didn't know if the child was always like this or if this was reserved for Mai only.

Setsuna-san turned a friendly smile onto Naru. "Shibuya-san, would you mind terribly if I borrowed your employee for a moment?"

Naru might not mind, but Mai certainly did. Who were these people? They looked as though they'd just stepped out of a beauty magazine, dressed in their immaculate clothing. Yasuhara-san was smiling sheepishly too, and everyone seemed to be ignoring Naru now, who was pointedly glaring at the newcomer.

"I would mind, actually," Naru replied curtly. "Mai has work to do, and it is not safe for her to wander the schools at this time."

For once, she was grateful for his clipped tone.

Setsuna-san, however, didn't seem moved. In contrast to that, Setsuna-san's blue eyes glimmered with amusement. "That you should have no fear for, Shibuya-san. I may not be as strong as other mediums, but I am capable of protecting Mai-san."

"Come, Mai-chan. Come, come," the child sang, dragging Mai down the path. Mai's eyes widened and she looked towards Naru, who didn't seem impressed at all.

"Thanks for that," Setsuna-san smiled, and he slowly made way out with them.

* * *

They stopped at the cafeteria; that seemed to be a neutral enough ground for them both and Mai couldn't help but look towards the ceiling to locate one of Naru's cameras as she sat down. Setsuna-san joined her politely while Hisana-chan ran off to buy some sweets.

"We heard that you were in contact with Ayami," Setsuna-san nodded at her politely, forever the image of a regal prince. "Please send her the Miharu family's regards, Mai-san."

Mai nodded quickly, though she felt as though she should be curtsying at a time like this. The Miharu Family. Ayami had mentioned that they were pacifistic blue-blooded psychics, and Setsuna-san was the epitome of an elegant and perfect gentleman. Still, she didn't see how he would know about this.

"My family and the Caecilius Clan were acquainted, you see." Setsuna smiled. He reached out and patted Hisana-chan's head. Mai frowned; she hadn't even realised that the little girl had returned. "And Ayami and I are…" Setsuna-san paused for a moment before a languid smile spread across his handsome face. "Close. Ayami and I are most definitely close. I heard of you from Yasuhara-san. I hope you don't mind, but I was exceedingly interested in you."

Mai didn't like the way that sounded. "Why?" she asked, trying her best to keep from sounding suspicious. Which she was.

"I generally am interested in those that Ayami has turned her eyes toward," Setsuna-san replied cryptically. Setsuna-san hadn't mentioned the fact that Mai was part of the Caecilius clan also, which meant that he probably didn't know. So Ayami was _that _powerful in the spiritual world? Mai had no idea. The other girl never mentioned it, but to pull in the favour of another house was probably an impress feat.

"Yes, yes, we are," Hisana-chan agreed brightly. The child was smiling, as per usual, as she bounced around them.

Mai frowned. "Sorry, but can I ask why?"

Setsuna smiled, but it wasn't quite one that reached his eyes. Not really, anyway but the amusement was there. "If Ayami has not told you yet, then I really don't want to be the one to say it, Mai-san. She often accuses me of interfering in her business, and while I admit that I do often do that, I don't want to see her mope on this one too." He shrugged. "I'm here to 

make an offer, really. I have heard that you are a rather powerful psychic, though your skills are embryonic. I was wondering if you were interested in developing your powers any further."

Mai blinked, though she couldn't help but sneak a glance at one of Naru's cameras. God, she hoped he – or anyone - was watching. Mai had never felt so uncomfortable and confused in her life.

"I don't think I need to develop them anymore," Mai said slowly. She looked at Setsuna-san and saw that his cool calculation was evident. "But if I did, I'd probably ask Bou-san for help. Thank you for the offer though."

"Takigawa Houshou is not as acquainted with the powers of a medium as I would be," Setsuna-san replied patiently.

That's right. Sometimes, Mai forgot: Bou-san was a monk who developed his powers; he hadn't actually been born with them the way she apparently had. "I can always go to Ayami for that too," Mai amended.

This time, Setsuna-san smiled. "Admittedly, when it comes to teaching, I should probably leave it for Ayami. Our heiress's powers are incomparable to many."

Mai frowned at the title that Setsuna-san had used for Ayami. "Heiress?" she repeated.

Setsuna-san smiled softly as Hisana-chan continued running around them, now chanting the word 'heiress' consecutively instead.

"Did you not know?" Setsuna-san smiled. "The Caecilius Clan is the only clan of the Five that is led by a female ruler only. Having had originated from Rome itself, the woman of the family had powerful Vestal Virgins in every generation. Ayami herself is quite noteworthy for her age; she woke the demon, _Caecilia,_ from her dormant sleep, and has kept the creature by her side as a familiar since she was a mere child of eight. She's tied herself to Vesta, the goddess of Hearth, who is apparently her First Ancestress if folklore can be believed, and she's connected to two of the Five, while leading one of her own."

That did, admittedly, make Ayami sound rather impressive. The other girl had never mentioned any of these things to Mai though.

Then, Setsuna-san's eyes suddenly darted upwards and Mai turned around. Behind her, Bou-san, Lin-san and Naru stood, neither of them looking at all impressed.

"Get away from him, Mai," Bou-san ordered. His eyes didn't leave Setsuna-san's face, and little Hisana-chan had finally stopped jumping around in circles. Now, she eyed the monk warily as all child-like features dissipated from her face.

Mai stood up immediately and moved towards them. As soon as Mai reached their side, Naru moved to stand in front of her, blocking her with his body.

"What's going on?" Mai asked, suddenly confused. Where did this hostility come from? Why were they acting this way?

"Took you that long to figure it out, did it?" Setsuna-san drawled. He leant back against the chair, indolent in his actions. Again, his voice was incredibly familiar, yet Mai could not place it. "Are you sure SPR should be in the ghost hunting business? I thought you would at least know the faces of the Elite in your world a little better than that."

Bou-san didn't look amused. "It would help if that face you wore now wasn't an enchantment, but you didn't even choose the right image, did you?"

Setsuna-san turned towards Bou-san. "What makes you think this wasn't intentional? After all, I could hardly wear the face of that ugly forty year-old goof around university. How else would I fool Yasuhara Osamu into thinking that I was friendly?"

"So you're acquainted with the true Miharu Setsuna too," Bou-san said, "and you must have known that I knew him too, or you wouldn't have intentionally drawn me away with those girls."

Setsuna-san – _no, _that wasn't right; he was an imposter – the imposter shrugged and Mai couldn't help but feel a touch bit disgusted. This person, whoever he – or she – was, hadn't just taken something of someone's that could be replaced. The thing they'd stolen was an identity: something that was utterly priceless; and it had been used for someone else's trivial gains. What kind of person would do that?

"Lin, get Mai out of here," Naru ordered. The onmyoji turned towards Mai immediately and took her shoulders at the same time Hisana-chan lunged towards Mai, tugging onto her hand incessantly. Mai tried to tug her hand back but the little girl suddenly developed a metal grip around Mai's wrist.

"If you're fighting in strength against Hisana than I would like to warn you that the demon is capable of lifting a two hundred kilogram block of aluminium effortlessly with one hand. It's much more likely for Hisana to rip the girl's hand off than for you to get her away." Mai's blood turned cold and she immediately stopped struggling? Demon? This sweet, innocent child that this person took along with them was a demon?

Their imposter's eyes shimmered with amusement as they moved back towards her. "So this is my belle's precious cousin. I can't see what she really sees, to be honest, but if it makes her happy to have you, then I suppose I don't mind having you around too much."

My belle. With those words, Mai suddenly remembered everything. This was why he'd sounded so familiar. Of course: Mai had heard his voice not so long ago; once in reality and once in a dream. Ayami had even spoken of him on more than one occasion.

"Raidon," Mai murmured. A sense of dread filed her and she looked up at his expectant face. "You're Mimisaki Raidon."

* * *

6th of September: Da dum...another chapter. You guys are awesome! And because I am so proud of myself for have finished the fifth chapter and I have completely planned out the sixth, I have decided to update. Thanks so much for all your support. I think I'll be writing even more now that I am totally and utterly broke. I have an addiction to shopping, both online and offline, and now I have no money left. I tihnk that's how I've been managing so many chapters so quickly; writing distracts me from shopping. But yes, I'm writing chapter 5 at the moment. This segment should have about 6 or 7 chapters, I think, with an Epilogue also.

So yes, chapter 4 should be up depending on how long I take to finish chapter 5 or 6. It makes me feel superior to be ahead of time. Hehe...

**Many thanks to: ****Gabryell-P, canadian violet **(LOL I thought that Lin-san's attitude towards Mai was pretty tame compared to how he was treating Naru. It was sweet that he told him to stop, though, eh? I have mixed feelings about writing their parts. It's so satisfying when you get it right, but I utterly dread it. I certainly am dreading writing about their Oliver Davis confrontation), **Ariana Taniyama, yellowmoon27, SkyzAngel, Moons-chan, crazymel2008, Kay **(LOL I don't know about Naru being sweeter; I don't think that's possible, really. The dude is completely impassive to all those around him. He does seem to be warming up a lot more to Mai though, eh? But it has been almost 2 years), **Lansky, miss koneko, Ahjah, bigtomato **(lol thanks! Glad you liked it so far. I was hoping that I wouldn't bore everyone with my descriptions...), **ONIX-21, luna-moongoddess, yumegirl91, Dreamer MRAF, and Aoi Faith**.


	4. Friendship on another scale

**Chapter 4 Friendship on another scale**

Mimisaki Raidon was completely at ease, and all Mai could do was stare.

Bou-san, Naru, and Lin-san were not impressed, and Hisana the demon was still latched onto Mai's wrist. The man in front of her was comfortable in an atmosphere so cold it would have had a polar bear shivering.

Mai looked down at the table he face facing, still seated in the cafeteria's chair. This was such a normal atmosphere; how did someone like him fit in it so easily? He set everyone else at edge. The table might have separated them, but that distance still didn't feel like enough.

Just who was he, anyway? Ayami never detailed much in relation to him, but Mai had a feeling he'd only come to seek her out because of the other girl. His manner was languid and calm, but even Mai could sense his slight affection whenever he referred to Ayami.

Raidon, at the moment, was ever so amused. "I came back to see just how much damage my precious belle did to my ancestral home. She always likes to leave me a little trouble whenever she visits, but when I noted that the roof was still on the manor, I realised that she must have found something else to toy with instead."

Mimisaki Raidon turned towards Mai slowly, his eyes still holding that cool, empty amusement that she'd seen all morning.

"When Touya mentioned that Ayami had found her cousin, everything fit into piece so nicely, I was surprised that I didn't think of it myself." He turned towards Naru now. "Another blue-blooded psychic of the Caecilius Clan. That should be quite impressive, right, professor?"

Lin-san froze and his grip on her shoulder slackened slightly. Mai's eyes snapped to the back in front of her. Naru was a professor? Wasn't he just a little too young for that, or was Raidon just being sarcastic?

Naru seemed to have had enough, and Mai could hear it in his tone.

"Why don't you take your company where it's actually welcomed? You've been rude since the moment you came to see us. It's not enlightening."

Raidon seemed even more amused. "Really? Hisana, return."

Hisana-chan's smile brightened and she let go of Mai's wrist immediately. The tiny girl darted back to Raidon's side and Mai's fingers were numb. Hisana had been holding onto her wrist for that long.

"What do you want?" Bou-san demanded.

The boy he addressed the question to shrugged. "Many things, really. World domination, my stock prices to go up, several more Picasso pieces for my collection. At the moment, however, I wish to satisfy my curiosity, and your little secretary there would do just what I need her to."

"Stay away from Mai, or you'll be sorry," Bou-san growled.

Raidon's eyes widened mockingly. "Be still my beating heart." Mai just stared at him and then saw as his blue eyes suddenly flickered. He smirked, turning away from Bou-san, who seemed to have been rendered speechless.

"Where are my manners; I have yet to introduce myself properly," Raidon said. He set his left arm across his chest, his palm pressing against what had to be his heart. He bowed his head slightly, though his eyes did not respectfully turn towards the floor; instead his orbs turned towards the rest of them. The gesture was gallant, and his movements were impeccable. It might have been more impressive if he'd stood up, but it seemed as though the boy couldn't be bothered to do that. "My name is Mimisaki Raidon. I am Patriarch of the House of Alexandria." His smile was mocking now almost as he nodded once more. "And I am a leader of one of the Five."

Bou-san moved forward, his face holding an expression that Mai saw only when he fought spirits. The monk wasn't impressed, but as Raidon turned towards him, Mai could tell that he didn't see the older man as much of a threat.

_There are two more clans out there, but because they circulate with people who are darker than dark, we tend not to mention them when we need someone to go hand out awards…_

So he was from one of the other families that Ayami had mentioned. The Caecilius Clan, the Miharu Family, the Ramirez Family, and now, the House of Alexandria. There was only one left that Mai had yet to know of, but if they were anything like Raidon, Mai wouldn't mind skipping out on that one too much.

"The House of Alexandria ended during the Burning Times," Bou-san said sharply. "They died out over a three hundred years ago. Everyone knows it."

"Would you like me to summon a demon here now to prove that my words are true?" the boy drawled. "Don't underestimate me," Raidom smiled. "You underestimated Ayami, and I assure you, I am not quite as soft as my sweet belle." Lin-san's grip on her shoulder tensed and she could tell that he knew Raidon was not joking. "Or you could always ask your little psychic over there if I am lying. She has latent sensitivity, doesn't she?"

He had to be referring to Mai, and Mai knew for a fact that he was telling the truth. He was a leader of one of the Five, just like Ayami. Mai hoped that he didn't have the intention to harm.

"Are you the reason why we're here on this case?" Naru questioned. His voice was light, almost emotionless.

"Contrary to popular opinion, I am not responsible for the phenomenon occurring here at this moment. I prefer my encounters up close and personal, if not with a little more brain stimulation. No, this – this is something that definitely does not interest one such as myself." Raidon shrugged. "Speaking of which, I do seem to have lost interest in all this now. Do tell Ayami that I paid you a visit. It's so comforting when it's she that seeks me out instead of having it play in vice versa." His last words were directed at Mai.

Mai didn't even nod back; she just continued to stare at him and Raidon stood up. He bowed at her in a rather Old World manner, his gestures tugging at something in Mai's memory. It had been him in that dream too; the one that Mai had seen with Ayami and the one that Naru had been dismissed. But he had looked entirely different. Had that been his true face then?

"It has been pleasant meeting you, Mai," he concluded. "Allow me to give you one parting gift before you I leave. Take it as a reward for being such a good sport."

Mai had no idea what he was saying, but then he suddenly vanished from where he was standing. Her eyes widened in horror and he appeared right next to her an instant later.

Now, Mai was completely surrounded: Naru was in front of her, Lin-san was behind her, and Mimisaki Raidon had literally appeared on her right.

The others seemed to have literally frozen in their positions and Mai turned over, horrified as she saw Raidon lean in closer. His eyes faded from blue to violet as he reached forward and touched her right shoulder. Mai hissed in pain as his touch burned right through her jacket, embedding something into her skin. Her eyes watered before she absently saw Naru turning around and jerking Raidon's arm away from her.

Mai gasped, almost collapsing, and Naru caught onto her swiftly. She quickly turned her eyes towards the other boy and saw how easily he smiled, despite what he'd just done – whatever he'd just done.

And just like that, Mimisaki Raidon vanished.

Literally.

* * *

Day 4, 4AM

* * *

_Stay away from Mimisaki Raidon. _

_I will deal with him; I assure you on that one. He won't approach you like _that_ again. And when he does approach you, seek out Shibuya Kazuya immediately. Only he could match Raidon. Ask Takigawa to set up a charm for you to carry around; that should ward off his bloody demon. I'll send you a charm too to keep the damn thing away. _

_I took a look at the mark embedded on your shoulder though; you don't need to worry about it. It's a symbol for protection; it'll help you ward off evil spirits. I would keep that tattoo to myself though; it's quite powerful, seeing as it was granted by _him. _If the star had been upside down, then you'd need to worry, because that's the symbol that's normally used for summoning demons, etc., but in this case, I think his judgement might have been a little flawed and he drew it in the wrong way. I really cannot see him being kind enough to project the image properly. The bastard._

_Remember. Stay away from Raidon._

_- Ayami  
_

So the tattoo was safe.

Mai let out a sigh of relief. Raidon and Ayami's friendship certainly could be measured on another scale. It certainly wasn't Ayami's fault that the other was so strange though. Mai couldn't help but note Raidon's peculiar affection for Ayami, in contrast for her avid dislike for him.

She, of course, knew better than to comment on it.

Mai quickly typed in a response, careful to type as soundlessly as possible; Masako was still asleep, after all. She cast her gaze leftwards, her eyes suddenly caught on the mirror by the wardrobe.

In it, her reflection stared back at her, pale and tired. Mai stared at her image in the mirror and reluctantly pulled back the sleeve of her shirt. The orange of her top peeled away from her skin and instead of the pale flesh that Mai normally saw there, a strange star had dominated the majority of her top right shoulder. It was actually a burn, if one looked closer, but from this distance, Mai could see it as an inked project. It was a rather peculiar star, shaped differently to those that Mai had seen, but as Ayami had said that it was safe, Mai didn't worry as much over it now.

"Mai?"

Masako's voice was sleepy, still, and Mai hastily covered up the mark. Lin-san and Bou-san's reactions had been slow, so they didn't know about the mark, and something about the look on Naru's face told Mai that she probably shouldn't be telling anyone, including him, about the mark. Naru had looked incredibly peeved about being bested and Mai had been a coward, so she'd resorted to the avoidance tendency immediately.

Mai just wanted to keep quiet about being part of the Caecilius Clan. It already felt strange enough because Bou-san, Lin-san and Naru knew about it. She didn't want the rest of SPR knowing about it also. Mai wasn't even sure why she wanted to keep it quiet. Apart of her thought that maybe – just _maybe_ – she was slightly ashamed of being a blue-blooded psychic.

And she wasn't even sure why.

Masako sleepily walked over to Mai, rubbing her eyes. "Why are you up? What time is it?"

Mai smiled. She consulted the time on her laptop before turning back to the celebrity medium. "It's about 4.30AM in the morning. Did I wake you up?"

Masako shook her head and sat down on Mai's bed next to her. "No, you didn't. I woke up on my own. You haven't been sleeping well since our first night here." Mai blinked, surprised by the other girl's observation. "Are you alright?"

Mai nodded quickly, not wanting to worry her. "I'm fine. I was just typing an email to Ayami."

Masako didn't seem convinced. "Well, just don't wander off on your own. You have a habit of doing that, and after the latest person went missing, I don't think it'd be safe for us either, since it wasn't just a student this time."

_Missing? _

"What are you talking about?" Mai asked, frowning now. She'd almost forgotten about the case.

Masako blinked, evidently surprised. "Didn't Naru tell you? I thought that was why he'd gone to find you and Setsuna-san. Someone else has gone missing. It was the janitor this time. One of the students saw him wander off early yesterday during work. The police were contacted, and they were searching the area while you were talking with Setsuna-san."

It mustn't have been a very big search party, Mai frowned, if she hadn't noticed. Or maybe she'd been too occupied with Mimisaki Raidon to notice anything else.

"Hopefully, they'll find him soon. Apparently Shiba-san has parents to take care for still, so it would be horrible if anything were to happen to him."

Shiba-san? Mai's frown deepened. She remembered him. He was the same janitor that had been talking to Hiroma sensei yesterday.

If she slept now, would she dream of Shiba-san too? Mai shivered. It felt selfish, but part of her couldn't stand the thought of any more nightmares. Then again, it wasn't as though she _could_ fall asleep, even if she wanted to. Insomnia had been a case for Mai since the first night on duty. Mai was only surprised that she hadn't fallen asleep yet.

"You and Domjouji-san seem close," Masako said suddenly.

Mai blinked "Are we?"

"Yes, you are. You warm up to people easily, but with Domjouji-san in particular, you seem remarkably close to her. All of us, including Naru, wonder how that is possible."

Mai was startled by her friend's words. So all of SPR wondered of her relationship with Ayami? Mai knew that she wasn't as dependable on them anymore, now that she had her cousin, but she hadn't thought that they'd notice too. "We don't have any other relatives, so it's nice to look out for one another."

Masako nodded once. "Just be careful around her. Domjouji-san isn't the type the type to help someone for nothing, but she's definitely the type to take as though it's her due to receive."

"I don't think Ayami would do that."

"Don't be so sure. Blue-blooded psychics live in a world completely different to our own," Masako said quietly. "They're something we look at from afar. Sometimes, you want to be part of them too, but really, we can't even begin to comprehend how their world works."

Mai didn't know what to say. Masako seemed pensive all of a sudden, and Mai had a feeling that the girl had been thinking of this for awhile. She seemed to be speaking from experience, and she sounded almost sad. And envious.

Who knew that Hara Masako would be jealous of anyone? For the longest time, Mai had always seen her as the typical celebrity; famed, fortuned and sometimes, even untouchable. The only time the other girl was overly respondent to anything was when Naru was involved.

Mai reached forward and touched her hand gently. "Are you jealous of Ayami?"

Masako didn't answer, though her eyes did dart to Mai's face again. "You're blue-blooded too, aren't you?" Masako asked softly.

Mai's eyes flashed in alarm. Perhaps Masako did pay more attention to Mai than she suspected. Mai nodded slowly and told the celebrity medium what she had yet to tell the others. "Ayami says that my mother is her blood-aunt."

Masako's smile was faint and she took her and back from Mai. "Which makes you apart of the Caecilius Clan. Of course you would be," she murmured, just lightly to herself. The other girl nodded at Mai once more and then walked back to her bed. Mai watched as Masako tucked herself into bed, now saying no more.

Masako hardly ever took the initiative to seek her out, and Mai could count on her ten fingers how many times in the past two years the other girl had bothered to come to her like this. Was something bothering her?

Mai shook her head quickly, now trying to brush off the thoughts.

Every day, something strange had happened.

Mai only hoped that tonight, she would manage a night of deep sleep.

* * *

09.09.2008: This was over 1000 words shorter than the previous chapter, but still 2700 words.

**Many thanks to: Gabryell-P, lurkmoar, Moons-chan, Dreamers MRAF, Aoi Faith, canadianvoilet (**LOL I would say that Ayami was seriously unimpressed by Raidon's actions. You don't actually get to find out what she did, but I'm not quite sure why she bothered. No matter what she does, he just laughs it off, really. Raidon's presence is explained in this chapter, though I do think he really just came to piss Ayami off), **ONIX-21, miss koneko, Kay **(LOL 'kun' can sometimes be used for lower status woman. It's normally used by males towards younger females, but because this lady is a teacher, and a senior one at that, I figured I'd make her a little more masculine. I'm glad you liked the last chapter though! I'm almost finished this story. So, so happy.), **SimplyChristine, killbethy, and Ayjah**.

* * *


	5. I see

**Chapter 5 I see**

* * *

Day 4, 4PM

* * *

_Good Lord, woman. Don't you sleep or something? Who replies to an email at 4AM in the morning? It's inhuman, Mai. Please, try to get some sleep. Shadows beneath the eye are not flattering towards your complexion, and plastic surgery is not cheap these days, despite the inelasticity of its demand._

_To answer your first question: yes, Hisana is a demon. Many blue-blooded psychics carry familiars by their sides and because we control powerful demons, we also have access to their powers. It's a bit of a trend, actually, between the Five._

_And in response to your second question: no, that is not Raidon's true image. Nor was the one that you inquired about in that dream. Don't ask me what he really looks like; although I see him often, he comes with a different face every time. I have not been in his physical presence for over twelve years, nor am I craving for it. He keeps himself off the media too, so you won't catch him there either. _

_And for your third: there are two reasons why you, as a psychic, might be dreaming of a live person and their words of guidance are actually coming to past. __If it's to do with a dream experience in which the latter communicates with the subject in question by tapping into the other person's subconscious state, then theoretically, that can happen; however, that was used more often as a means of communication between certain gods and human beings. Or it could also be a manifestation of your imagination. Sometimes our mind conjures an image of a certain person or object and we use that as a source of guidance. Take for example: maybe whoever you see in your dreams happens to be the person that you view as your image of guidance. If it's like that, then it would explain the imagery of another in your mind while you sleep if that person was still alive. The second reason? Well, because that person's already dead, of course, and what you're seeing is actually their spirit. _

_Stay safe, and try to get some sleep._

_Ayami.  
_

They still couldn't find Shiba-san the next day.

Bou-san, Naru, Masako and Ayako had returned to the abandoned building that the girls had been found at, despite the 'NO ENTRY' tapes layered out by the police. Mai, Lin-san and Yasuhara-san had been left to the paperwork in the office. Shiba-san still hadn't been found, and Mai had tried to search for Hiroma sensei earlier that morning in the court, but she hadn't been able to find her again. She'd been exhausted all day, so they'd left her in base to go over the files.

The door creaked open and Mai looked up, suspecting that it would be Yasuhara-san who'd just returned from his quest for caffeine.

And it was, only he was also balancing a mobile phone in his hand. Mai's lips twitched as she looked back at Lin-san, wondering if he was bothered by the other boy's constant chatter.

"No, no, Domjouji-san; that simply will not do."

Mai's eyes lightened up. Ayami had called? A bright smile passed over her features as Yasuhara-san trailed into the room. "Here, Taniyama-san is right here. Would you like me to put you on speaker?"

Yasuhara-san waited for her response and Mai smiled as he set the phone onto the table and pressed the speaker button.

"Let me guess," Ayami's voice declared, her voice played by the static just a little bit. Just hearing her made Mai smiled. "Shibuya Kazuya is not in the room, if not the two of you would be hastily removing yourself from that Grinch-like creature."

Mai bit her lip to refrain from smiling. It was true that Naru didn't like Christmas, but Ayami didn't have to say it like that.

"I don't think Shibuya-san likes you very much," Yasuhara-san commented.

Ayami laughed. "Surprise, surprise. But honestly, such maturity is elicited from that intellectual figure. If he wasn't so good looking, I probably would have shot him by now. No wonder they say some geniuses are, in reality, also socially depraved."

Okay, it was definitely time to take their subject off Naru now. Yasuhara-san must have thought so too, because he changed their topic.

"Domjouji-san! Have you brought anyone else onto our plane recently?" Yasuhara-san asked casually, and Mai blinked in surprise. Who _asked_ that?"

Ayami didn't seem to mind though. "Daily, my friend, daily. I might send one to Japan and see how your employer takes it. So how's your case going?" Ayami asked, seemingly taking a more serious note now. Mai snuck a look up at Lin-san and noted how his fingers had paused in their typing. Naru didn't like it when they discussed their cases with outsiders, and in this case, Mai had chosen to keep quiet about most aspects of it also. Should she simply tell Ayami not to worry about it? They hadn't gotten very far with this case though, and Mai knew that Ayami could definitely help them.

"And don't lie to me, Mai. Of course I know what you're case is about. I'm psychic, remember?"

Mai almost sighed. "So what do you know?"

"I've had the police forward me the files on those girls, and from what the other students say, all the girls are part of the same clique and they seem to have all argued with the teacher before going missing. That's why the police thought that the girls had originally run away. When spirits target, they tend to go for similar groups."

Mai wasn't even going to ask how Ayami managed to get her hands on confidential files.

"I can't see Shiba-san socialising with the students and he's gone too," Yasuhara-san pointed out.

"But Mai mentioned in a few emails back that that some Hitosha sensei said he had argued with the headmaster, and now, he suddenly seems to be missing too. She didn't think that that related to the case, so she had no whims on mentioning it to me at all. There are some rather obsessive spirits out there; maybe these spirits are only targeting people who seem to have disobeyed a superior or something like that. Ask that Hitosha sensei what they'd been arguing about."

"It's Hiroma sensei—" Mai began, but the other girl suddenly let out a curse in English. Mai and Yasuhara-san exchanged looks of alarm.

"I have to go; I think the lecturer's finally posting notes for the exam. I'll call you later, okay?"

Lecturer. Notes. Exam. "She called you in the middle of her lecture?" Mai asked, turning to Yasuhara-san.

Yasuhara-san smiled. "She was trying to call you, actually, but she said she couldn't get through to you."

Had she left her phone in her room again? She felt around in her pockets and realised that she had. She'd probably have to go retrieve it later, or Naru would have her head.

A rapid set of knocks were heard at the door and Mai turned over. Yasuhara-san had left the door open and now, the headmaster was standing at the door.

Mai stood up immediately. "Good afternoon, sir."

The headmaster smiled brightly, though Mai could definitely see the weariness in his eyes. "No, no, Taniyama-san. Please, sit down."

Lin-san turned towards the headmaster and Mai looked towards the senior assistant. "Is there something you needed, headmaster?" Lin-san asked stoically.

The headmaster shook his head. "No, I was just wondering how everything was going here, but everything seems to be fine. I hope the police officers didn't frighten anyone."

Yasuhara-san laughed sheepishly. "We're not on the run from the law, so they didn't scare us too much."

The headmaster smiled at his attempted joke. "Thank you for staying with us through all of this," the headmaster said. "Most people would have run by now."

"We're still here at the moment," Lin-san replied calmly.

The headmaster nodded, smiling, and Mai could see how tired he really was.

"Do you know if I could get into contact with Hiroma sensei?" Mai asked, suddenly remembering back to what Ayami had said. The headmaster looked up at her, surprised, and Mai further elaborated. "I just wanted to ask her something."

The headmaster shook his head. "I wish I could help you, Taniyama-san, but Hiroma sensei passed away a few years ago."

Her blood went cold.

"A few years ago?" Mai repeated questioningly. Then who had been the older woman that she'd seen at the courts the last two times? Absently, Mai noticed that Lin-san seemed to have paused again and Mai forced a smile on her face.

"Perhaps I'd mistaken then, sir. Thank you for that."

The headmaster nodded reluctantly and eventually dismissed himself from the room. After he'd left, Mai couldn't help but frown. She knew that she had spoken to an elder who claimed to be named Hiroma sensei, and that it hadn't been a figment of Mai's imagination.

"Perhaps she was a teacher from another school," Yasuhara-san offered, seeming to take in her expression. "Or maybe you got her name wrong."

"No," Mai said, shaking her head. "I saw her twice, and I spoke to her the second time. I don't think I would have gotten it wrong..." Her eyes cast up towards Yasuhara-san's face. "Do you think her spirit came back?"

Yasuhara-san didn't argue, but he did look doubtful. "You do look, tired, Taniyama-san. Perhaps you should try and catch a bit of sleep while you're Shibuya-kun and the others aren't here."

Oh, great. Now Yasuhara-san thought that she was odd too.

* * *

Mai's sleep actually came sooner than she thought it would. Wink caught her right as she was sitting in the middle of base, reading over the files of the girls that had gone missing. Yasuhara-san and Lin-san had eventually resumed their normal structures and she soon found herself dozing off.

Now, she found herself standing in a plateau of darkness. Nothing around her except the firefly-like wisp-o-wasps that floated practically everywhere.

Then, _he _appeared. As usual.

"Naru!" Mai breathed. She smiled at him and he smiled back at her gently.

"Come, Mai. Let me show you something."

She truly was going to be dreading those words. Mai smiled at him awkwardly and Naru gave her another smile, this one a little more amused.

"It's okay. This might just help you find Shiba-san though."

Shiba-san? Mai took his offered hand and he smiled. "Close your eyes."

Mai nodded, immediately heeding to his order. She felt wind pass over her body and the ground beneath her seem to feel slightly different.

"You can open your eyes now."

She did so and gasped when she saw the room around her. Everything was dark in this cellar-like area. Mai could hear water dripping from a distance, and she looked around the room. There were no windows for anyone to see anything and darkness seemed to be everywhere. On the floor, however, just a meter away from her, was Shiba-san.

He seemed to be sleeping, because Mai could see his chest rise and fall. It was dark, so she wasn't sure, but he didn't seem to be injured either. Naru nodded at her and told her to close her eyes again. Mai did so.

"Do you remember this place?" Now, they were at the courts where the girls had been found. Mai could see Ayako, Bou-san and Masako looking around the area, but none of them could see Mai.

"I wonder where Naru is." Mai looked up at him sheepishly and realised that she _was _talking to Naru, only the dream Naru. Was there a big difference between the dream Naru and the real Naru? Well, of course there was, but at least the dream Naru could give a tender smile. Mai could count on her five fingers how many times Shibuya Kazuya had actually cast a genuine smile.

Like the one that dream Naru was wearing now. "You don't have to call me Naru if it's confusing you," he said, smiling lightly at her. "Call me Gene."

Gene? That was a peculiar name. He really didn't have to take on a nickname to help her out, and Mai told him that.

"People call me Naru sometimes by mistake, but it's not my actual nickname either. People normally call me Gene."

Mai hadn't known anyone to call Naru 'Gene'. If Gene really was a figment of her imagination, then her imagination had just gotten a whole lot stranger. "What's your real name then?" she asked.

His eyes smiled at her still. "Eugene. Eugene Davis."

* * *

Mai's eyes snapped open instantly.

She gasped in shock and shot upright immediately. Something heavy fell off her shoulders, probably onto the ground, and Mai ignored it.

Gene? Eugene Davis? That was his name? So dream Naru wasn't actually Naru at all. How could Mai have mistaken it for two whole years? Part of her already saw Gene as a separate entity to Naru, admittedly, or she wouldn't have asked Ayami about it in her previous email, but it was something else to have her silent thoughts confirmed like that.

"What did you dream about?"

The curt, demanding tone brought Mai out of her reverie of thought and she looked towards the source of the sound. Just like that, Naru stood in the distant corner, eyeing her calmly. Mai looked around the room and realised that it was empty, bar the two of them. How long had she been like this for?

"You've been asleep for about an hour," Naru said, answering her unasked question. Mai nodded, though her body still felt groggy from lying in that angle. She shook her head, now trying to readjust her fringe so it fell out of her eyes. The sleep certainly had helped though; Mai felt a lot more refreshed. She looked down and realised that the thing that had fallen off her shoulders was Naru's coat. Mai hastily bent down and picked it up. How long had he been standing there, waiting for her to wake up?

Then, she remembered that he'd asked a question and Mai set his black coat onto the table before speaking again.

"I think I saw Shiba-san," Mai murmured. It was better to get it out before he interrogated her. "He seems to be alright. He's in a cellar or something, unconscious."

Naru nodded. "We still haven't seen any sign of him. Do you know where he was?"

Mai shook her head no. "Sorry; everything kind of flashed and I missed it. Did you want some tea? I'll make some." Mai got up before he could say no, though it was unlikely that he would. She set more tea into the empty pot and pulled out the flask that she always kept full on the side.

"And what about Hiroma sensei?"

She almost missed the pot, pouring the hot water in. "How do you know—"

"Lin told me," Naru answered. "Apparently you've been conversing with a spirit."

Mai nodded slowly. "I still don't know if she was actually a spirit," Mai reasoned.

Naru nodded towards one of the computer screens. "She is." He told her that in two words.

Mai's eyes trailed towards the screen and she looked in to see a heat generated image. It took her awhile to recognise it, seeing as the colours were different, but eventually, Mai saw that it was the garden court in the front of the school. Mai saw two human figures by that area; one had an arrow pointed at it and she saw the listing as _Taniyama Mai_. Next to that, there was a blue image, made out like a human, in contrast to her red. Blue, for cold. This meant that the person next to her held a significantly different heat level. And a much lower one at that.

And the only one that had stood by her that day was Hiroma sensei.

Oh god.

* * *

14th September, 2008: Yay! I finished the entire segment of this! This segment will have seven chapters and an epilogue. I think you guys might like chapter 6, but yeah. Will start on Mirror soon enough too. But anyway, cheers!

**Many thanks to: Ayjah, miss koneko, Skyz Angel, Moons-chan, ONIX-21, SimplyChristine, Gabryell P, canadianviolet** (Oh, you'll learn more of Ayami's and Raidon's relationship in the future. They're quite the fun couple to write about, actually, because both of them are rather comical), **ChibiKari, Kay **(hey! LOL glad you're liking it so far. The blue-bloods will be kept as a mystery since my cases don't exactly scream secrecy), **Aoi Faith, and luna-moongoddess.**


	6. Dream of you

**Chapter 6 Dream of you**

_A message from Domjouji Ayami, Imperial First Lady of the Caecilius Clan to Mimisaki Raidon, Patriarch of the House of Alexandria, on February 20__th__, delivered through the passage of Darius._

_I am going to _kill_ you._

Mai had been interacting with a spirit all that time and she hadn't even known it.

"Your luck doesn't seem to be improving with these kinds of things," Naru commented lightly. He was reading a file in his hand now, and had yet to move from where he stood. Mai shot him an annoyed look. Did he have to do that? Did he have to sound so remarkably impassive about these strange matters? Hello, but who was the blue-blooded psychic here? She was newer at this thing than he was, but shouldn't he be the one that was fretting, not her? Why couldn't he let that impeccable calm loose every now and then? Then again, Mai would have paid good money to see Naru fret.

She almost smiled at the thought.

Mai sat down again with her cup of tea, after having had set him a cup too, comfortable with their silence. Mai looked outside and saw that the snow had almost completely worn away, which was a pity. She'd always liked the white of the snow; it'd always seemed so pure compared to everything else.

Mai whistled merrily for a moment before she eventually got bored. She snuck another peek at Naru, who was now turning the page of whatever it was that he was reading.

Naru had proven on many occasions to be able to read while he spoke. He wouldn't mind too much if she talked to him, right? Ayami was a safe topic, in Mai's opinion. Well, anything 

but Mai was a safe topic at the moment. Especially since Naru had looked absolutely livid when they'd parted company yesterday. That might have had something to do with Raidon, but Mai knew better than to question him.

"Ayami emailed me before. Apparently Hisana, the little girl beside Raidon, had been a demon. Can we really use familiars like that?" Mai asked.

Naru didn't look up from his file. He reached over the tea that Mai had set for him before talking. "Obviously he could. Then again, if he really was part of the Five like Domjouji-san, then it isn't overly surprising."

"You don't seem to like the Five that much," Mai remarked.

"They haven't given me much reason to like them."

And of course, his response was as smooth as it had always been. And it also told her that Ayami wasn't the first blue-blooded psychic he'd come across. Mai smiled at her own perception.

"During your time as a paranormal researcher, have you ever come across any of the psychics from the Five?" Mai itched towards him, suddenly curious.

Ayami normally discuss the other psychic families, and when she did mention them, it was generally accompanied with obvious disdain. Bou-san had only gruffly mentioned once that the head of the Miharu family was one of the people he respected most in his life before self-consciously turning away. John-san had never heard of them, while Masako's reaction had been noted the other night. Ayako? She'd just called them spoilt, royal brats (having had based the entity's opinion on her thoughts of Ayami) before huffing into the air.

"I've met a member of the Ramirez Family," Naru told her.

Mai leant forward further, remembering back to Ayami's words once. _The Ramirez Family. If you ever get to meet the Head of their Clan, tell him that Ayami sends her regards. Hopefully the next time we meet, he won't try to slide a knife through my ribs again._

Mai winced. She hated to think how a meeting between Naru and the Ramirez Head would go.

"So what happened?" Mai asked.

"It was just during another job," Naru replied cryptically, clearly hinting that he wasn't intending to tell her. Mai caught the clue, backed off and hit on the next topic on her list. Him.

"Ayami said that you're incredibly powerful for a psychic, even by blue-blooded standards," Mai said cautiously.

Mai raised her defences when he turned to her, rather annoyed.

"You seem to put a lot of faith into what Domjouji-san claims," Naru commented. Mai frowned. Masako had said the same thing last night, only in different words. It wasn't blind faith that made her listen to Ayami at times, though, and Mai told him that. It was the fact that Ayami was her cousin, and the other girl had never – strangely enough – lied to Mai. Ever. She even told Mai was she was omitting facts to her.

"I have seen you use your kikou, remember? Of course I know that you're strong. And if you had a sibling, you'd understand why I trust in everything that Ayami says."

There. Let Mr. Only Child tell her what it was like—

"I have a brother," Naru told her.

Mai blinked, and then she smiled, her thoughts swaying immediately. It wasn't often that Naru shared, so if he was going to drop a hint, she was going to worm as much out of him as she could. "You have a brother? Is he older or younger?"

Naru looked up at her and Mai suddenly felt defensive. What? It was normal to ask if someone else's sibling was older or younger, and it was just at the tip of her tongue to defend herself when Naru answered.

"He's my twin brother."

Twin.

Her face iced over and her expression blanked out in horror. A brother. Naru had a brother, and he'd just said that his brother had been a twin.

_People just came me Naru sometimes…Gene. Eugene Davis._

Her heart thudded in her throat; surely it could not be _that _coincidental. Besides, Gene had said that his surname was Davis, not Shibuya, which meant that the other boy had to have been raised overseas. Gene couldn't have been Naru's brother. But would she ever forgive herself if she didn't ask him now?

…_because that person's already dead, of course, and what you're seeing is actually their spirit._

Mai took a deep breath, afraid, though she wasn't even quite sure why. "His name isn't Gene, by any chance, is it? Eugene?"

This time, Naru did look up.

And he froze.

Oh, god.

Before Mai could open her mouth to say anymore, Naru had crossed the lengths of the room and dragged her to her feet. His grip on her wrist wasn't exactly bone crushing, but it did remove any chances of possible escape.

"You've met Gene? Why didn't you tell me?" Naru demanded. "Where did you meet him? When did you see him?"

Naru must have been rather emotional to ask all those questions at once. Mai didn't dare move. Anything she did might set him off even more. She looked down at her wrist, careful not to move her head too much. "Naru. Err…my wrist," she pointed out.

Her employer ignored her.

Mai swallowed and decided to answer his question. "I've been dreaming about him since our first case together," Mai answered as quietly as she could.

That didn't seem to appease him at all. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it was weird," she half-suggested. Mai shook her head, her mind barely able to process what was happening. Naru had a brother. His brother was the one that Mai had been dreaming about. And Ayami had said that the said brother might just be dead. And he, of course, had never mentioned his brother until today, with a comment that had been completely out of character.

"When did you see him last then?" Naru asked. He seemed a little calmer now and his face had become literally expressionless again. The only thing that hinted a slight imperfection was his heavy breathing.

Mai snatched her wrist back from him and surprisingly, he let go. Mai rubbed the skin there lightly and snuck a look up at him from beneath her eyelashes. This seemed to be really 

important to him and Mai could see why. This was his brother they were talking about. But she couldn't understand why he was interrogating her like this, because obviously he would know more about his own brother than she would.

"I dreamt of him just a few minutes ago. I didn't even know that his name was Eugene Davis until then," Mai murmured. She turned to him suddenly. Why would Gene come to Mai in a dream if it was obvious that his brother was searching for him? Wouldn't it make more sense for Gene to go to Naru instead?

Naru didn't say anything so Mai continued again. "I'll tell you the next time I see him," Mai told him. That was all she really could do, really.

"No," Naru said. "I want you to fall asleep right now so that you can talk to him for me."

Mai's jaw dropped at his unreasonable request. He couldn't be serious. Mai could understand that he wanted to talk to his brother, but it wasn't as though she could command herself to fall into a deep slumber and dream about the person he had in mind. Besides, as irrelevant as it sounded, Mai didn't feel comfortable sleeping around Naru. What if she drooled?

"Umm…Naru—"

A succession of knocks was heard at the door and Mai frowned. Naru looked slightly irritated at their interruption and he cast a menacing glance at the door.

If looks could kill, whoever was on the other side would be splintered into thousands of pieces.

Mai shook her head, grateful for the intrusion. She headed to the door and opened it, then frowned when she saw no one on the other side. Mai scowled, now stepping into the hallway.

A shadow cast over her other end suddenly and Mai turned over. The familiar, kimono dressed figure appeared next to her, and the crinkled face of Hiroma sensei looked down at Mai, sad.

Mai blinked. "Hiroma sensei?" Her eyes darted back into the room slight. "Naru—"

And then everything went black.

* * *

"To say that I am unimpressed would be a serious understatement."

Takigawa-san rolled his eyes and Yasuhara-san laughed sheepishly. It was just like Domjouji-san to start off the conversation like that. At the far end, Lin's face was expressionless as Naru's emotionless. Matsuzaki-san and Hara-san both had their crinkles of slight worry, but neither of them had anything to say either.

Part of Naru still could not believe that Mai had been dreaming of Gene for almost two years now. Two years – that was how long she had been employed by him – and he hadn't known. Nor had she mentioned it. And now, just as he'd found out about it, she'd gone missing.

And to top it all off, Domjouji-san had called Yasuhara-san's phone just one hour after Mai had gone missing. After she'd walked out into the corridor and called his name, Naru had come out, only to meet an empty hallway. They'd been searching for her for over an hour now but Naru knew that it was futile; whatever had taken the janitor and the other girls had probably taken Mai also.

Lin had said that Domjouji-san believed that the people who went missing were those who contradicted a superior, and it was a relative theory that had briefly touched Naru's mind in the past – Naru had investigated and found that Karakura High School, about one hundred 

to two hundred years ago, had been a gathering place for members of the Shinsengumi, a special police force of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Apparently these samurai weren't the best of people, and although they worked for the government, they also had a severe dislike for traitors, members who omitted facts from superiors, and those who disobeyed the higher-powers.

Naru probably should have known better than to tread on Gene's case like that previously. And his blunder had probably been the reason Mai had been taken away. If anything happened to Mai at all, it would be his fault…

And now, he had to put up with Domjouji-san's barbed comments before heading out to search for his employee.

To say that _he _was annoyed was an understatement.

Naru shut the file he was holding with one hand. "Domjouji-san, if you're only going to complain, then I suggest you take your comments where they might just be welcomed."

"Well, if you had been sleeping in your lecture, only to be suddenly awakened because you saw _your cousin _being dragged away by a male ghost dressed in late Shogonate Period clothing, you'd be worried too. Especially when she was also unconscious while it happened. Now, correct me if I'm wrong – though you won't need to – but was it not you who claimed that you could take care of your employees? Well, employer, I think you've just failed."

Naru was tempted beyond reason to release his kikou at this person, even at the expense of his own health. He already knew that he had fallen short of his responsibility; he did not need her to point it out too.

And she, of course, was still rattling onwards. At least Naru knew how she and Mai were related; neither of them ever shut up.

"Now, answer me honestly: do I need to send something over there to retrieve my cousin, or will you people handle it on your own?"

Yasuhara-san scratched his head nervously. "Now, now, Domjouji-san – there's no need to put it like that—"

"We can take care of Mai on our own," Takigawa-san snapped. Her snipped comments were not annoying Naru only, by the looks of it.

"Clearly you're incapable of taking care of her on your own, or she would not have gone missing in the first place. Now: can you _retrieve _her on your own?"

Matsuzaki-san smirked. "Cocky, aren't you, for someone who's sitting on another continent?"

"As opposed to you, miko-san, who can do nothing but growl." Domjouji-san's voice turned slightly more serious, the light taunting fading from her tone. "Your Shiba-san friend is going to be dead in the next three hour; they plan to leave Mai for tomorrow. Now, I will contact the Miharu family and they will retrieve Mai for me. I _can_ summon—"

"I don't need your help," Naru interjected. He kept his face cool and calm because he knew that he really didn't need Domjouji-san's help. Naru was capable of retrieving Mai on his own. And he knew that he could save Shiba-san in less than three hours also. Lin must have guessed what he was going to do because the assistant shot Naru an apprehensive look.

Domjouji-san didn't say anything for a moment and Naru almost wondered what unintelligent comment she was going to make now. Naru only thanked the Gods that she and Mai had been raised separately. Mai was spirited enough already without her cousin's influence.

"You really don't need my help, do you?" Domjouji-san's voice was filled with a new kind of wonder. And a smile. There was definitely a smile. "Mai is afraid – naturally – so I will send 

someone there to watch over her. You have exactly twelve hours to find her before I interfere."

She was setting him a time limit? Naru's eyes narrowed. He was beginning to find this girl less and less amusing by the moment. And he noticed, of course, that she didn't particularly care for Shiba-san if she'd set the limit by a twelve hour scale instead of three hours. But Naru didn't particularly worry, because he knew that he could retrieve both of them in an hour's time.

Of course he was going to get Mai back.

He knew that for a fact.

* * *

20.09.2008: LOL I was going to update mid next week but you guys made me feel bad because you kept reviewing...hehe...that sounds kinda stupid, eh? But yeah...Assessment period at the moment. Life is horrific. ;) What a wonderful way to spend Saturday night. If only there wasn't a thunderstorm...I hate lightening...But yes, I am writing more of Ayami/Raidon in the alternate universe. Can anyone guess what their current relationship is in the Vesta's Bond series? If anyone gets it right, I'll give you the next chapter instantly, though I won't say who was correct :) How's that for bribery? LOL

**Many thanks to: Gabryell-P, ONIX-P, Miss Koneko, SimplyChristine, Canadianviolet **(the only thing with Raidon and Ayami is that you never really know what comes out of their mouths next. Both of them love to wear masks to the world. What did you think of Naru's reaction? I made it tame, because I couldnt imagine him shouting, nor could I imagine him going spastic)**, bigtomato **(Hehe: did my confrontation of for Mai/Naru in relation to Gene meet your expectations? I don't think it was my best job, but yeah...), **Killbethy, Ahjah, Kay **(LOL I feel bad when I set off spoilers in my story. That's why I don't let anyone I know in real life review my stories; they normally worm more out of me because I tell them all about the story before I give them the link. But yes, hope you enjoyed this chapter ;)), **Skyz-Angels, Moon-chan, Aoi Faith, Ariana Taniyama, Sorachangirl, Zeroseconds and luna-moongoddess.**

* * *


	7. Cellmate

**Chapter 7 Cellmate**

* * *

_A response from Mimisaki Raidon, Patriarch of the Alexandria Family to Domjouji Ayami, Imperial First Lady of the Caecilius Clan, on late February 20__th__, delivered through the passage of Darius._

_Oh, my belle. I'm so glad you called…_

* * *

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Everything was darkness.

Mai's eyes slowly opened and her entire body felt heavy as though she'd slept in the most irregular angle.

Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she groggily turned from left to right. When she realised where this place was, Mai's eyes widened.

The cell. She was in a cell identical to Shiba-san's.

And then it all came back to her. Naru. The talk. And then Gene. She'd stepped into the hallway, seen Hiroma sensei, and then everything had gone black. And Hiroma sensei had been a ghost too.

Mai looked around frantically. Oh, god, please let this be a dream. Please let it be a dream and let her wake up soon.

"Help!" Mai screamed. "Is anyone here? Help me, please!"

Only her voice echoed back at her and Mai, dejected, sunk back against the wall again. Of course it hadn't been a dream; she remembered seeing Hiroma sensei still before blacking out.

There was no one else in the room, and Mai knew without a doubt that she had been taken away by whatever had killed the girls.

She felt a sudden stab of fear; was that going to happen to her too? Was she going to get burnt alive also? Had it already happened to Shiba-san? Or were they going to kill her some other way? Mai couldn't die here like this. There were so many things that she hadn't done yet. She needed to show Ayami so many things, harass Bou-san more, take John-san to the Hiroshima tourism sites, ask Masako about her career, interrogate Ayako, muster the courage to ask Lin-san about his eye that he'd always kept covered by his fringe, and help Naru talk to his brother. Mai hadn't even told Naru that she had a slight crush on him either.

Naru.

At the thought of his name, Mai felt herself calm down just a little bit. Of course; Naru was going to come for her. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Naru would never let any of his employees go missing without a trace. Masako had gone missing once, and hadn't Naru gone after her immediately? And it wasn't as though Bou-san would leave her to rot either. She only hoped she stayed alive long enough for them to find her.

And how was she going to do that? Ayami had said that Mai was a blue-blooded psychic, just like the other girl. Did that mean that Mai packed some fire power too and she just wasn't aware of it? Mai certainly hoped that she had at least a fraction of Ayami's power, but it probably wouldn't matter if she did anyway, because it wasn't as though she knew how to use it. But then again, there was that tattoo that Mimisaki Raidon had given her…not that it had been of any use so far. After all, she _had _been taken away by spirits, hadn't she?

And that was when she noticed.

There was a woman, sitting right across from her, staring right at her.

Mai stifled a scream and her heart skipped a beat. Her eyes lashed towards the figure, immediately wary, before she realised that the person had assumed a harmless pose. Her knees had been drawn to her chest and her arms were folded across them as she set her hands diagonally across her own shoulders. The woman's chin leant on her elbow as she dimly faced ahead.

She must have been here for a long time to be that still.

Mai moved forward a little bit and crawled towards the other woman. As she got closer, she realised that her cellmate's eyes were open; they were just staring unfocusedly ahead. Mai couldn't tell much about what she was wearing or what she looked like because it was so dark, but even in this lack of light, she could see that the woman was almost completely frozen.

"Are you alright?" Mai whispered.

The woman didn't respond.

Mai swallowed, reaching out to her. "Are you okay?" Mai repeated, a little louder this time.

The woman didn't reply.

Mai's fingers touched her flesh and she froze as she felt how cold the person was. The woman's eyes, sharp as ice, snapped to Mai suddenly. Mai fell back from the surprise and the woman continued to stare at Mai now, the rest of her body still immobile.

Her eyes, Mai realised with dread, were completely pupil. Where her irises were meant to be, there was nothing but white, blanked over, yet somehow, she was staring right at Mai.

This woman, whoever she was, clearly wasn't human.

Mai scrambled even further back in her cell and shrunk as far into the wall as possible. Her eyes didn't dare leave the woman's face and she stared, trying her best to calm her heartbeat. This woman wasn't human. Her companion – _this woman _

– wasn't human. And the cell that they were in had to be two meters square at the biggest. All the woman had to do was stretch her hand out and craw forward, and she would be able to touch Mai directly.

Mai normally wasn't the hysterical type, but right at this moment, she felt like hyperventilating.

She stifled a scream, scared out of her wits as she pressed her palm against her mouth. If she screamed, it might just cause the woman in front of her to do something strange, and Mai didn't think she could possibly stand that. Moments passed and the woman merely stayed in that position – the same one she had moved into when Mai had approached her – before slowly resuming her original position. Her head rested back on the crook of her elbow, her face staring dead ahead without focus.

Again, Mai swallowed, hoping to erase her fear and she moved her hand down from her mouth slowly.

The woman ignored her.

Mai's heartbeat lowered, but she still felt frantic.

Naru. Where in the world was Naru?

* * *

"No, Naru."

Shibuya Kazuya felt a twitch of irritation as he and his employee moved towards the abandoned buildings that Mai had discovered two days back. His fingers gripped onto Mai's cell phone easily (something that she'd unwittingly left behind in her room, as usual) as he mentally mapped out his plan.

"If you're not happy with what I'm doing, you're more than welcomed to sit in base and wait."

"Again, you're forgetting what I'm here for," Lin said calmly, reminding Naru once more of his parent's interference. Naru ignored him. He was going to do what he needed to do; Lin could either come along or sit aside and wait with the others, who were standing outside the main school block, waiting for Naru's signal.

"Naru, there's still time for us to find Mai. If we go through the files one more time—"

"I'd be able to find Mai, but Shiba-san wouldn't survive," Naru interjected. "If Domjouji-san's words can be believed, the spirits will act around 6PM. We have one and a half hours before something happens to him."

"Then I'll do something!" Lin snapped. "Listen to me, Naru, if something were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd say to the professors. Just let me call the spirits so I can ask them and we'll be able to locate Taniyama-san and Shiba-san through that method."

"Mai's not dead, in case you don't remember, so it's not like you can call her." Naru said emotionlessly. And she wasn't going to be dead either. "And it's not like you can get a clear, concise answer from them anyway."

Naru found the ladder that the police had set out and quickly climbed over the wall. Lin trailed after him, still talking as his feet hit the ground on the other end. Naru's eyes assessed the area quickly; it was still the same as it had been several hours ago.

And Lin was still going; for someone that normally didn't talk so much, when he did start, it seemed as though nothing was going to shut him up.

"Naru! You know how dangerous this can be! Taniyama-san's life is endangered – I know that – but if Domjouji Ayami can retrieve her, why not just let her do it?"

"And let her prove once again that she can do what I cannot?" Naru just shot him a look. "You're kidding, right?"

"You're overly competitive over such menial matters. Do you want to collapse again? Takigawa-san and John-san have already suspected something, if you do this, they'll definitely find out."

Naru swirled his thoughts slightly, allowing them to stretch like elastic before simmering away in a cauldron of contemplation. He pushed aside his personal dilemmas, his thoughts of all others, in order to achieve perfect peace.

"I know what you're thinking; you want to prove to everyone – including Mai – that you're able to protect her, and that you don't need Domjouji-san to do it."

Naru ignored his assistant, now pushing deeper into his subconscious. Relaxation. Concentration. If he could manage a state of complete ease, he could summon his powers without any problems. And just like that, the dormant force swept into life, flowing through his body almost immediately. Naru had forgotten how good it was to have power coursing through his veins. It had been such a long time since he'd felt this energy flowing through his body. His kikou activated with his meditation, though it wasn't quite what Naru had wanted.

Naru brushed his fingers against Mai's cell phone and he shut his eyes.

And he saw Mai.

* * *

The woman was still staring at her.

And Mai didn't look away. Instead, she just continued to watch the woman warily.

Then, Mai suddenly sneezed.

The sound of that echoed through the cell and Mai winced. She looked to the woman again, who was still watching her, and swallowed once again. How long was this going to go on for? How long had it been going on for? Mai had calmed down a little bit now.

Then, Mai realised that she was sweating. She frowned, brushing the slight droplets off her forehead and she was almost tempted to fan herself, but the presence of the woman in front of her made it hard for her to move, let alone do anything else.

Her olfactory senses protested against the smell she scented and Mai grimaced as she could literally taste it in her mouth.

She frowned, now trying to recognise the taste.

Then Mai began to panic. Smoke. There was smoke literally everywhere. She could feel it seeping through the cracks of the wall, slowly flooding into the cell.

Oh, god. The fire. This place was probably on fire.

"Help!" Mai screamed. Now, no longer caring about her company. It was either be killed by the woman or burn to death, and right now, neither prospect seemed alluring. "Is anyone here? Help!"

She screamed and screamed and still, no one responded. Mai's heart thumped heavily in her chest. Her short breaths of air were becoming harder and harder to make. Dejected, Mai fell to the floor. She felt tears of frustration swell in her eyes and angrily, she blinked them back.

And still the woman had not moved. She just continued staring. Right at Mai.

Then, _she_ appeared. Hiroma sensei. Mai backed against the war, horrified, as the teacher turned over to Mai. "My poor child," the elder whispered, before her body merged with the smoke, fading into nothingness.

Mai exhaled, now coughing slightly as she felt the smoke press into her throat. Her eyes stung and her entire body felt as though it were overheating. Then, something cool pressed against her arm and Mai, through blurry sights, focused on another dark figure leaning over her.

"Gene?" Mai whispered.

Gene smiled, nodding at her once. "Don't be afraid, Mai. They're coming right now. Takigawa-san is already performing the exorcism with Lin. You don't have to be afraid."

Mai tried to stay awake, but the smoke was making it harder and harder. "Where's Naru?"

"He'll be here soon," Gene's fingers trailed to her hairline and he brushed her fringe aside gently. "Don't worry, Mai. They'll all coming soon. Don't worry…"

* * *

25.09.2008: Hey! Don't you just love Naru? Oh, and thank you to those who played my game. Unfortunately, none of you correctly guessed their relationship. Some came close, but yeah...lol...none of you were actually right. killbethy's response was really good though; I never saw it coming, so here I am, with an update. Cheers, guys! I definitely won't be updating till next week though (well, I think so anyway). I haven't even finished the second chapter of Mirror and I have two assignments due for uni in the next fortnight. And I just found out that my end of semester exams are just a day after one another, which I didn't mind, and then I saw the time. 8.30AM! Isn't that barbaric? And my uni is almost 2 hours away...I guess I could always just find a shrub there and sleep around that area instead of going home...

**Many thanks to: ****SimplyChristine, Gabryell P, Aoi Faith, Moons-chan, Trigger **(Vesta's Bond is a set of cases that I wrote up. Teacher is the second segment; Goddess, which can be found under my name, is the first set to it), **Dreamer-MRAF, crazymel87 **(lol hey! Hope you liked this chapter then. I think it's about the same length too), **lunamoongoddess, miss koneko, canadianviolet **(LOL Raidon and Ayami aren't engaged, unfortunately. But I think the reason why Naru was offended was because Mai hinted that he didn't know what it was like to be bonded to another person through bloodline. Not that one could blame her when you see the way he acts :P), **Kay **(Hey! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Ayami was just trying to be a bitch when she set the time limit. A bigger man would have ignored her, I think. Naru went for it right away. :D), **Ahjah, **and **killbethy. **

* * *


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

Day 5

* * *

Her eyelids were incredibly heavy and Mai didn't want to put the effort into lifting them.

She was, strangely enough, rather comfortable where she was. Perhaps this was heaven?

No, Mai thought as she heard someone screech in the background and a loud person hiss "be quiet".

This definitely was not heaven.

Slowly, Mai's eyes opened and she flinched at the light that immediately attacked her vision. Mai lifted her hand to hide her eyes from the artificial lighting, but it seemed to seep through her heavy fingers anyway.

"Oh, thank god you're awake," Ayako breathed. Ayako turned up, and Mai wasn't quite sure who else was in the room. "Call Naru. Tell him Mai's awake."

There was the sound of a door opening and closing and Mai ignored it, instead trying to focus on anything with either her mind or eyes. Her entire body felt numb; her mouth had a strange taste in it, and her eyes felt as though she'd been baking them in the sun.

And then she remembered what had happened and dragged herself to sit up immediately.

"Ayako," Mai gasped, choking now. Her throat. It was so incredibly dry, and Mai had to blink in order to register the world around her. She was in a hospital ward now, by the looks of it, and lines of beds were arranged around her.

Mai's eyes flashed, a little more alert, as she remembered Gene and Hiroma sensei. Both of them had been corporeal – to her at least – before she'd passed out. Were either of them here now?

"We sent Shiba-san to the hospital," Ayako said, seeming to misinterpret Mai's querying glance. "We were going to send you too, but you weren't too serious, and there was a slight problem with that, so we could only get a doctor to check up on you. He said you were alright, and hopefully he didn't stuff up, because the man was a little keen on getting out of here."

Mai frowned, now giving up on her search for the two spirits. Neither Gene nor Hiroma sensei were around, that was for sure. She turned back to Ayako. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Ayako's lips pursed and she looked over to Bou-san, who was sitting beside her. The monk appeared rather grave before he spoke. "Well—"

"Now that you're awake," Bou-san interjected loudly, "do you mind telling us who-" he pointed at the far end of the room, right at the same woman that had shared the cell with Mai; Mai's heart skipped a beat when she saw her – "that is?"

"Bou-san," Ayako let out, clearly exasperated. Mai had a feeling that they'd argued about this while she'd slept. Clearly, Ayako saw thought that the woman was of less importance than Bou-san did. Mai didn't blame Bou-san for being curious though. Whoever this woman was, she was rather frightening.

"Well of course I want to know who she is," Bou-san replied defensively. "She's obviously not a spirit if we can all see her, and I know for a fact that she's not human. She literally blew open that door when we were trying to get to Mai in that cell because she probably thought we were being too slow. And she's done nothing but stare at Mai for the last seventeen hours while she was unconscious."

Seventeen hours? Had it been that long already? Mai hadn't even known.

"Then why don't you try to exorcise her?" Ayako demanded.

"You think I haven't?" Bou-san snapped. Clearly, he was in a rather foul mood. "Nothing works against her. She doesn't even feel it."

"I didn't even think of using the mantras against her," Mai murmured, staring at the woman. She still faced Mai intensely, only now, she was standing at the edge of the hospital bed. The miko and monk had gone to great lengths, Mai saw, to ensure that the woman had a lot of space to herself.

Now that Mai saw her in light, she could see that the woman was dressed in rather unusual clothing. An unusually long headdress draped over both shoulders of the woman, and beneath that, she wore dress-like outfit beneath that flowed right to her feet, though only one shoulder seemed to be sleeved. The clothing was white, which seemed to be in match with her stark white skin, and her hair was the ashen-white that one would expect from an elderly lady, yet strangely, this woman's face was rather young, and she would have been in her early thirties at the latest. Mai could see that the woman had a rather attractive face, too, even though her eyes were still completely pupil.

"We found her with you when we entered that cell," Ayako said.

"She was with me when I was in the cell earlier," Mai said absently.

"She doesn't have the same energy as the others," Bou-san told Mai. "So she's definitely from somewhere else."

Mai nodded, though she hardly processed what the monk was saying. Who was this woman? Was she even related to the case?

"The exorcism must have set those ghosts off," Bou-san murmured. "There were about seven of them, so when we were trying to make way into there, the others set the cell on fire. We were trying to break into the cell when she—" Bou-san nodded in the woman's direction – "busted it open. Naru-bou carried you out, and he said he'd be back soon."

Mai nodded. Everything seemed a little vague still, so she figured she'd be safest if she just nodded.

"Caecilia," Ayami's voice whispered. Mai, now suddenly alert, cast an apprehensive look around the ward, but she couldn't see the other girl anywhere. It was as though her cousin's voice had travelled in with the night breeze, flowing quietly into the room. Something else was said – an order – in another language and the woman finally pulled her gaze from Mai. Her body swirled, its figure playing as though it had never been solid in the first place and eventually, the woman vanished.

Mai blinked.

"Now where did she go?" Bou-san asked sceptically. He turned from left to right, looking around the room as though he expected the woman to jump out from behind the curtain.

"I think she was with Ayami," Mai said, her mind catching a better hint of what had been going on.

Bou-san didn't look impressed. "Domjouji Ayami has a demon at her disposable? How different is she to Mimisaki Raidon then?"

Mai wasn't in the mood to hear more insults directed at her cousin, so she merely ignored the monk. Ayako turned over to Bou-san and asked him who Mimisaki Raidon was, but the monk didn't respond. When he didn't say anything, Ayako turned back to Mai, for once not bothering to argue with the monk.

"You should rest some more," Ayako said. Mai nodded and settled back onto the bed again. Immediately, she was grateful not to have to support herself and slowly closed her eyes. It seemed as though her lack of sleep in the past few days was catching up to her now. Despite her efforts however, Mai felt a little restless, so she couldn't quite get back to sleep. She must have laid there for awhile, because Ayako started talking again, this time in more hushed tones.

"I think Naru must still be talking to the police. This is when I am, for once, grateful for that Domjouji girl. If it hadn't been for her, Mai might have been taken into police custody. I can't believe that Officer actually thought that Mai was a suspect."

"Don't be too grateful of Domjouji Ayami. I'm wondering more and more about her though," Bou-san said quietly. His tone was light, but Mai could hear him still. "I contacted the Miharu family before and they said that Domjouji Ayami is part of the Caecilius clan, but what kind of person like that would have a demon at her control? I remember the Caecilius clan being descended from Rome. They were a vindictive bunch, too, and the Miharu family sends their regards every year which is ignored by Ayami. Not everyone gets the Miharus' attention, and she ignores them. She falls in deep with the dark arts too, and we still don't know who the owner of that house we were at is. Is Mai really safe with her? I think Mai should stay as far away from her as possible."

"I trust Mai to know what she's doing," Ayako said, her voice a little snappy. "I don't like Ayami either, but Mai's the one with latent sensitivity and she finds it alright. Who are you to argue?"

Bou-san huffed, but he didn't seem to argue. Mai almost smiled. It was always Ayako who clashed with Bou-san, and Mai was glad to have the woman around.

* * *

Day 6

* * *

_Who was that woman? That was Caecilia. She's my most powerful familiar. Or _shikigami_ by your terms. I'm sorry if she scared you, but she's the only one that was powerful enough to materialise immediately by your side. She can transcend time and space, which is a rather handy tool in my opinion. All the others would generally need to transform themselves into something in order to assist someone that is not contracted to them, and they'd still need to travel there, and then they wouldn't make it on time. _

_I'm glad you were not in need of her services though._

- Ayami.

If a demon blowing up a door did not count as 'in need of services', Mai didn't want to know what did.

Shaking her head, Mai quickly typed a reply to Ayami. She asked about Ayami's studies, how she was going, and if she had any more news on Raidon, and a few questions about Mai's personal powers, though she was careful not to hint anything about Gene. Mai trusted Ayami not to tell anyone anything about Gene if Mai asked her to, but it would probably be betraying Naru's trust if Mai were to tell her cousin about him.

Mai and Naru never breached the subject of Gene again. At least not yet. Mai did tell herself that she would tell him the next time she saw his twin, but Mai had no idea when that would be. Mai had about a million questions to ask Naru, but she knew better than to be nosy. In due time, Naru would tell her if he wanted to. Unfortunately, she hadn't dreamt of Gene since he'd told her his name, and her sleep itself had been horrid. Maybe if she went on another case, that would change.

As for Hiroma sensei: Naru had called her an omen: a sign that foretold the good or bad in the future. Clearly, in this case, she had been a warning to the victims of the coming of the other ghosts. Mai kind of saw her as a late guardian for the school. After all, the woman had said that a teacher never truly quitted, so did that mean that the woman would be staying there forever?

Later on that day, they left Karakura High School, and Mai saw Hiroma sensei again, one last time, sitting on the swings. As the van had pulled out of the driveway, the elder had raised her hand to wave at Mai.

Mai had smiled and waved back.

* * *

29.09.2008: Dadummm...and that's all. It's all I have at the moment. Okay, I lied. I have the first chapter of the next segment too, and about 3/4 of the second chapter. But yeah, I've been doing assignments, so I don't know when I'll start posting it. Thanks for reading the story! Hope the ending was 'Ghost Hunt'-like. I'll probably set the sequel in a week at the latest.

**Many thanks to: Miss Koneko, Aoi Faith, Gabryell-P, bigtomato **(LOL the chapter title 'cellmate' is in reference to Mai's sweet friend. As you have seen in this chapter, Ayami is forever the helpful cousin ;)), **ONIX-21, canadianviolet **(Naru is a loving knight in shining armour, as you can see; I had Mai's 'to-do' list play because writing a 'life flashing before your eyes' would take a little long. Doest that sound lazy?), **crazymel2008, Ayjah, Moons-chan, Ariana Taniyama, Dainty Sue **(LOL I'm glad you like our male defenders. THey are kind of like a team of knights, eh?), **Lady Light, Angelic Kitsune, Sorachan, Dracos-gurl123, and lunamoongoddess.**

Until next time, guys! Cheers.

* * *


End file.
